Fallen from Grace
by Alli-dunno
Summary: Her voice was like a hypnotizing lullaby, her touch was venomous and burning, like poison. In the back of my mind, I probably knew that. But, as she sung me to sleep with her empty song, I gave up all hope of ever caring. Link-centric PoV/AU-like.
1. Welcome to My Story

A/n: I know, I know, I've already got two stories in progress, but this story was calling to me to write it…And I wanted to st

**A/n: **I know, I know, I've already got two stories in progress, but this story was calling to me to write it…And I wanted to start it while it was still fresh in my mind…

Don't ask where this came from…I just thought of it while I was bored in school, and I wanted to get it down while I still could…So…Here…

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Zelda, so whatever…

**Chapter 1: Welcome to My Story**

"_Immobilized by fear/ And soon to blinded by tears/ I can stop the pain if I will it all away" _– "Whisper" by Evanescence

I really don't know what she's accomplishing by doing this… I mean, I really don't… How is this supposed to help? All of this seems to have absolutely **no **sense to it whatsoever…

I mean, come on… How does locking me in this room help? Last time I checked, locking "insane" people in a windowless, colorless room didn't seem to help them _achieve _sanity, right? (There are magic barriers, just for affect…)

I get it already… I'm insane…I'm awful…I am a horrible, betraying bastard destined to go to hell…I get it…

But still…

Now I'm supposed to sit here in this pathetic excuse for a room trying to sort out my thoughts and somehow come to the fantastic revolution that everything I did was wrong…

It's not that easy, Zelda dear…No, not at all…But why contradict a princess? (I know from experience that it's quite painful…)

So…Where do I go from here? Not there's much left to ponder…

I did some bad things, and now I'm here…In a bland, room with a small amount of light with a rickety excuse for a bed and that's it…

Oh…And apparently I get a meal twice a day… It's kind of them, isn't it? All it is the stuff that they scrounge up in the leftover corner of the castle's kitchen…

But I'm not special right now, and so, therefore, I don't deserve something descent to eat. Though, food is the least of my concerns right now…

What do I do now? I guess I'm supposed to think about what I did… Everything I did…I mean, a lot of little things led up to a big thing, and that big "thing" can't be fixed…

Last time I checked, death is irreparable, right?

Well, unless I missed my guess…Since, these days, a lot of things seem to be going topsy-turvy lately…

I swear… Was I just destined to go from one thing to the other? I start off as the fabled "Hero of Time" and then end up here, in the castle slums… I'm just one of those bugs, one of those evil, stinging; venomous bugs that Princess Zelda needs to squish in order contain purity in this oh-so grand kingdom of Hyrule…

How does the Hero of Time sink so low, you ask?

It's simple really…

Not all heroes are meant to live grand lives…Not all are supposed to be armored, chivalrous gentlemen… Not all heroes are supposed to live happily ever-after…Not all are great, kind, selfless men who would give their very lives for the country…

Some are just destined to sink…Sink as far as they can go…Some heroes break the very code of honor in which they are expected to go by…

I'm not at all what the legends say… I don't consider myself gentlemanly or selfless in anyway…By no means do I consider that congenial to my nature…

It never was, never will be…

I'm just that random kid, that random orphan, "no-fairy" kid who was selected to that job because it was convenient… (At least, in my mind…)

I guess I'm that heartless creep who breaks that façade… I'm just realistic. And now I'm rambling…

But I guess I've got nothing better to do…

To speak the truth, I don't really know how I sunk so low… It's as if, one day, something struck a cord in me, and I just went down hill from there… It's as if one day, I just jumped off of the deep end with both eyes shut…

But I guess there's nothing more to say…

I'm just insane… I don't know... Is insane really the right way of putting it? Or is there some different word for it? One of the confusing medical terms?

Do I care? Will I just settle for insane? That seems as basic of a way to put it… "Insane" is just the first word that comes to mind…

Insane… I just don't like how that sounds… It bugs me… Maybe I'm just being pessimistic again…I don't know…Pet peeve of mine…

According to Princess Zelda, the regal, _understanding _person that she is, decided to put me in the Goddess-forsaken room, expecting me to sort out my thoughts and emerge the great hero I was supposed to be…

Yeah…Right… When that happens, it will be raining fire, and Ruto will stop chasing me…

And that will NEVER happen…

My mind is nothing but a labyrinth maze…It's a place where there are constant turns and twists… It's constantly confusing, and nothing ever makes sense…

And just when you think you have me figured out, I go and screw you over again…

Fantastic, right?

I confuse _myself_… I think Zelda believes that by making me sit here in this boring room, I can emerge normally and explain my actions, having some predestined reason for doing it...

If I can't even understand myself, what makes her thinks _she _can understand me?

My actions were entirely my decisions, and not some premonition… It was entirely something I chose to do… No ifs, ands, or buts about it…

Goddesses if you can hear me, please help me…

……..

Thanks….Any-hoo… How do I do this? Just talk out loud, to myself?

Talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity…

And if I did that, then maybe I would be considered insane… Besides the guards standing outside my door would be quite freaked out, now wouldn't they? I think that's what they're expecting…

For me to talk about it so they have solidified proof that I'm insane…

…………………

Look at me…I, Link, the Hero of Time, chosen by the Goddesses, am rambling, yet again…

Great…

Just dandy…

All I can say is one thing…

This is going to be one very annoying, very tiring, very….dreadful, if you will… This will be like hell…

And maybe it is… Maybe I _am _in hell…

**A/n: **There it is folks, this is the start of yet again, another new story… I am just test-driving it… The entire story is told in Link's POV… It's cynical, yes…But I want to see if I can get Link in a new light…

This is a teaser chapter of sorts…Nothing is really explained, since Link doesn't say _what _he did…All you know is that is was bad enough for Zelda to punish him…

Please review, folks!


	2. Off the Deep End

A/n: OMG

**A/n: **OMG! Thank you so much dudes for the reviews to this! I hope I gather more as the story progresses… 7 reviews for one chapter? Nifty! I have that much for 2 on one of my other stories! I'm giddy with excitement that I have motivation to continue this!

Without any further rambling, let's move on!

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Zelda! SO ha!

**Chapter 2: Off the Deep End**

"_As I took him in my arms he screamed I'm not insane! / I'm just looking for someone to understand my pain…"-_ "The Devil in the Wishing Well" by Five for Fighting

The room I'm in is very dark right now… I can't see very much.

Fantastic, eh?

Well, not my way of spending an evening alone, that's for sure…

But I've grown used to this…It's like this every night; cold, dreary, dark… It sort of grows on you…And when you're crazy like me, you begin to think it's kind of homey… The darkness of the room seems to suit me quite well, actually… It makes things more interesting…And it's much easier to sleep this way…

But I can't sleep anyway so…

I just lean against the wall, sitting upright on my pathetic excuse for a bed, and listen to the noises of the castle outside my room…

You see, the oh-so great Princess of Hyrule decided it unfit and unhelpful to seal me in a dungeon, so she locked me in a small, confined room in the far corners of the castle instead…

As I've said before, It's supposed to help…And it's not…Jeez, who chose her to be princess anyway?

My thoughts stop as I hear voices outside my room…

Speak of the devil; it seems the ruler of my misery has come to grace me with her regal presence…

"Link…" I hear her whisper as the door creaks open… I turn my head, so only my blue eyes peak out from behind my blanket of shadows… Zelda walks in, garbed in her pink and off-white royal gowns, and clutched in her hand is a candle… The flames light up the dark room, so we can see each other more clearly…

"Have you come to see if my insanity has cleared up, princess?" I say sharply, rolling my eyes. "Last time I checked, small rooms only make things worse."

"Must you be so cynical?" Zelda responds back, now clasping the candle in both hands.

"Yes…What are you frustrated with me, princess?"

"…"

"You know you're only proving my point, right?"

"You can be so…aggravating nowadays, Link…" Zelda's eyes grow downcast for a second.

"Listen; face it princess, the knight-in-shining-armor that you once knew has gone out the window…" I use hand gestures to prove my point. "As in he's jumped off the deep end…What you see now is what you get…"

"It pains me to see you in this condition, Link…"

"…"

"You had so much going for you Link: recognition, a happy life, and a wonderful future…But…Why did you go and do what you did?"

"Maybe I got frustrated, princess…."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is not everyone wants to be recognized, like you princess…" I was growing very sick of her constant questioning of my mental wellbeing and my decision; very, very, very annoyed. "You know, I didn't _want _to be known…The constant attention wore me out…"

"It was all rightfully yours, Link… No one could deny that you, the Hero of Time, had saved us all…And that you deserved the very best for all you've done… You've saved us quite a lot…"

"Yeah…Whatever…"

"Yes! You've don't a lot for not just Hyrule and myself, but for Termina too!"

"And I care?"

"You should, you cynical bastard!"

"…" I smirked a bit at the fact that I was now angering the dear, sweet princess. "Are you angry, princess?"

"Yes! I'm angry and troubled…Why?"

"Why did you have to go and do what you did?"

"You know, princess, let me explain something to you…. I could have frankly cared less if Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule for good! Or if Termina had gotten crushed… Not my problem…"

"Then why did you do those wonderful things?"

"To get you off of my back! Nayru! I wouldn't have given a damn if this world had been shrouded in darkness! I wouldn't have done anything if the Deku Tree and that annoying ball of light hadn't made me!"

"What's your excuse for saving Termina then?"

"I did it because I had another annoying ball of light attached to my side! My Din, I wanted to get away from heroism, not walk right into it again…"

"That still doesn't justify what you did, Link…You're lucky I don't execute you for it! I just want to understand why…"

"You're going to have to give up sooner or later, princess..." I turn my head to meet her violet-blue eyes…They're mixed up with a mixture of sadness, worry, frustration, and anger… It's almost fun to make her angry…

"How come it's that every time I try to come in here and help you, you back away from my help?" Zelda questioned after a long silence… She looked down, staring at the bright flame of the candle; stepped back as a bit of candle wax dripped to the ground.

"I don't need counseling, princess…" I looked at her. "I just want to be alone…"

"Well, as a prisoner, I can come and go to you as I please…" Zelda says sharply.

"Woo-hoo…" I twirl my finger, sarcasm dripping from my voice.  
"I'll be back, Link…" Zelda twirls around, her skirts flying around with her. "You really have gone off the deep end, haven't you? You actually used to be nice…"

"I jumped off the deep end a long time ago, princess…And when I did, I did it with both eyes closed!" I declare, turning my head to the opposite side of me, away from her.

"…" Zelda lets out a bit of a troubled squeak as she exits the room.

Silence fills the room again… Actually, I prefer silence over this, but I'm weird…so…

Whatever…Again…

Am I supposed to sit her now and contemplate her wise words, realizing the error of my ways…?

I can't do that…

Everything I used to be is gone now…All there is now is who I am right now…

The Hero of Time is only a myth now…Maybe it always was a myth…And I was just the foolish kook parading Hyrule like I was this fabled hero…

It makes sense in my mind now…

Was I lied to? A broken person like me shouldn't have the title "hero". Psychopath maybe, but not hero…

You know, I know how to use a sword, so why didn't I kill _myself_?

Jeez…I'm a moron, I really am…

I shake my head… And slowly fall down into a horizontal position as sleep begins catch up with me…

And it finally does…

_The air is dry… Time has seemed to have stopped completely…_

_Did I just do that?_

_And did it feel good?_

_I drop my sword as I stare at the blood on the ground… I'm in shock…I didn't just do that…Heroes don't do that kind of thing…They stop people who do this…_

_I guess whoever said that was wrong because I just did that… I slowly lean against the tree behind me, and sink to the ground… I propped my arms on my knees and stare blankly at my bloodstained hands… The blood drops to the ground in little droplets, making "plop" noises when they hit the grass…_

_I don't feel bad…I don't have a sudden wave of guilt…I don't hold any regret about it at all…It was as if I lost my mind for just a few minutes and went crazy…_

_I lost control…_

_And it felt nice… Sort of… Now, I was just confused… Not like this was something I did on a daily basis, like a hobby or something… _

_Saving the world was my hobby…_

_And apparently, I had found a new one…_

_I just sit a look of nothingness on my face… I turn both ways…No one is coming… It's just silent… No animals making noises… Just nothing…_

_Fit the moment, I guess…_

_But it felt weird…In a good way…_

_Damn, what the hell is wrong with me?_

_Something new…and strange…And maybe good… Who knows?_

I open my eyes… I remember that moment…

A weird feeling… Not good, but not bad either… It was an in-between feeling and I wondered if I would ever feel it again…

It was then that the Hero of Time died completely… I jumped off the deep end with feet tied…

And I don't regret it…

That is why Zelda's words will do little to help me come to regret it…And I won't come to realization by her words…No…

Last time I checked, realization and resurrection weren't the same thing…

**A/n: **There you have it… Am I leaving you on the edge of your seats with what happened?

Please review!!


	3. Frozen in Time

A/n: So, I've had motivation to continue this

**A/n:** So, I've had motivation to continue this. Many seem to actually like this story, though I never thought it was up-to-par with the other things I've recently written (though, the early chapters of _A Destiny That Binds_ and the other two chapters of this are mess, in my opinion). As I've had time to think about it, I think I'll resurrect this story and finish it. I don't plan to make this a long story, maybe only a few more chapters. This isn't something that needs to be fleshed out, so I think it would do well as a simple short-story. Notice the huge difference in story writing. I'll go back and revise the other chapters at a later date, seeing as how I still need to do that with _Destiny_. I meant to do that with my other, early one-shots, but only ended up doing that to_ Eternal Nightmares_. (If you like weird angst and psycho Ganondorf then read that, please).

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Zelda…whatever…

**Chapter 3: Frozen in Time**

"_I'm losing my mind and you just stand/ and stare as my world divides" – _"Snow White Queen" by Evanescence

I know I'm supposed to be insane and all, but I'm beginning to wonder if time even passes anymore. I've lost track. I can't tell whether it's been days, months, years, hours since I've been locked up in this damned room. They could at least provide light or something. Darkness isn't going to make me any saner.

Though, I can't say the darkness is all that bad, you know?

Everything just seems…at a standstill. I feel like I'm just frozen here, in some rift between dimensions, and while I never grow or move on, everyone else does. The darkness hasn't made me crazy yet, but that might just be because I'm already psycho. That's entirely probably at this point. I don't really care that much anymore.

I can't do much else in this little room of mine. I can't see much in this darkness, but I stare up at the ceiling, lying on this uncomfortable little cot they provided me with. I don't really think about anything, though. My mind is just blank, void of all thoughts. At this point, thinking doesn't matter. It was something I did a long time ago, but thinking doesn't really do much for me. Why think when nothing is going to make sense?

It's also been awhile since the princess came to interrogate me some more. Hours, days, I don't know, it's just been forever. Not that I mind. Things are easier when I don't have her breathing down my neck, trying to understand why I did what I did. Even I don't know why I did it. I just did it, isn't that enough to know? Why is she treating me so….kindly, I should say? I _killed_ someone. What kindness does that deserve?

"Link?"

Speak of the devil; guess who's came for a visit?

"What now, princess?" I sit up in my cot, hands casually behind my head. I glance at Zelda as she walks in, garbed in royal colors, as usual. She stares at me icily, flipping some of her golden hair across her shoulders.

"I've come for answers." she says sternly. "I want answers. Will you just tell me already?"

"Why are you so anxious to know?" I ask.

"You murdered someone!" she cries out, fists clenched at her sides. "You're the Hero of Time! Why would you kill someone? A friend, no less."

"Listen, princess." I snap. "I can't explain why I did it. No matter how long you question me or how long you stare at me or how long you_**yell**_ at me, you'll never find out."

"I don't believe that."

"You don't believe that? You really are a stubborn fool, Zelda."

"I am a fool? I didn't commit an act of homicide." she glares at me. I stare right into the iciness, grabbing strong eye contact with the gorgeous princess.

I hated her.

It was strange. This was a sudden revelation to me. It took that long to figure it out, too. Jeez. But I hated her, loathed her. It was a deep hatred. Her kindness was fake, her beauty a mask. She was evil; I knew it, deep down. She was cold and selfish.

Back when I actually took my job seriously, I never saw it, but I think I see it now. I was only her lap dog, her pack mule. I was only there to clean up messes, to do her bidding. Everything rested on my damned shoulders, and she never lifted a finger to help.

Everything was expected of me and yet nothing was expected of her.

"Maybe I did because you finally drove me over the edge princess." I stand up, holding her with my eyes, my eyes matching the coldness of hers.

"Drove you over the edge?" Zelda lifts a delicate eyebrow, crossing her arms. "It was the Goddess's will that you do your duty. No one made you take that job."

"Ha! That's hilarious. I had half the damn world telling me to take up the job. No one else would get off their asses and fix their own problems." I say, letting out a dry laugh.

"…" she stares at me, a wave of some emotion hitting her. "Why, then? Why did you do something you didn't want to do?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, Zelda. At the time, I took it seriously." I look to the side before grabbing her again with eye contact. "But after awhile, I though 'why in the hell am I doing this again?'" I walk closer to her, lashing out and grabbing her fragile arm in my hand, wrenching it upwards.

"Ow!" she seethes under her breath, her violet eyes staring up at me, wide. "Link! That hurts."

"Oh, sorry princess." I say and tighten my grip. "I don't care. Do you think I haven't been hurt before?"

"I know you've been hurt before." she says sternly. "But you're assaulting royalty."

"Damn the titles." I say simply. "Zelda, stand up and stop hiding behind your title. Yeah, you're the princess. But you're waste skin, too."

"I believe I will hold more worth than a murderer like you could ever hold." Zelda says defiantly. My grip subconsciously tightens on her frail arm, earning a gasp of surprise.

_I was lost at this point. I was staring at her body, my mind not guilty. She was my friend, right? But…why was I…emotionless about all this? Shouldn't I feel bad? I just went berserk on her and killed her! She was the one caught up in this mess. _

_Did I kill her accidentally? No…My mind was blank throughout it all. She said a simple greeting, flashed a sweet, beautiful smile like she always did. All she did was greet me, said hi to me in her bell-like voice. She touched my arm, looked up at me with blue eyes, and laughed a bit. _

_And suddenly my mind was blank. _

"You know, Zelda?" I say, my grip tightening again. "I think I understand something. Something you don't understand."

"…What is that?" Zelda winces at the grip.

"I hate you so much."

_Zelda was in the garden, as usual, dressed in a gorgeous gown. Today, her lovely hair was pulled back, showing more of her equally lovely face. Even lounging in the gardens, she still managed to look every inch the princess. _

_She turned, her eyes lighting up. She said a simple "hi", smiled a sweet, delicate smile, as she always did when I went to visit her for my next mission. Her voice, like a song, said my name, ringing like a bell. She reached out, touched my arm, looked up at me with blue eyes, and giggled at the messiness of my outfit. _

"I…I hate you so much."

_It happened in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, the Master Sword sliced across her in a diagonal manner. Her blue eyes were wide and confusion and fear were apparent in her face. It took a minute for her to comprehend what happened. Suddenly, she held on arm to her torso, pulling it back to look at the crimson staining her arm. Blood began to drip down the corner of her pale lips, down a pale chin. She reached out an arm, held her free hand out to me, desperately. She wanted to touch me, for me to hold her hand and pull her close…_

_But all she did was fall backwards. _

_"Link…"_

"Link?" Zelda asks and I look down, concerned eyes looking back at me.

"Quit it…" I say loudly. "Quit staring at me!!" I screamed at the point, releasing my grip on Zelda before falling to my knees. My fists clenched and I slammed them into the stone floor. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't anything anymore.

Why did she have to make everything so much worse? And the worse part is that no one will ever understand why she makes my life so bad or why the sound of her voice makes my ears bleed or why her beautiful visage makes me sick to my stomach.

It's not like I can say "Oh, the princess of Hyrule made me kill her!"

"Link?!" her voice is frantic as she bends down, kneeling on the floor in front of me. Her hand reach up to touch my shoulders by I swat them away. Why did she have to be concerned? Damn her to hell!! Damn her!!

"Get out if you value your life, princess." I look up at her.

"You wouldn't dare lay a finger on me." Zelda says that with a mixture of worry and defiance in her voice. Her hand reaches out to touch me again, and I grab it in an iron grip, earning a squeak of pain from her. I lift my head and now and stare, face to face, blue to violet, with her.

_She was beautiful in my eyes. Beautiful hair, wonderful eyes sparkling with happiness, soft, pale skin…She was the picture of beauty and happiness to me. But it seemed that every time I saw her, my duty was coming back to bite me._

_"You worry about your job too much, Link. Perhaps you should get Princess Zelda off your mind."_

_"I can't get her out of my mind. It seems like she's everywhere I go."_

_"Are you in love with her?"_

_"Hell no. She gives me jobs, she sends me here and there. I'm nothing but her work dog."_

_"You shouldn't talk like that! You're the Hero of Time, right? Don't you enjoy helping people?"  
"I only do it because apparently I'm the only one in Hyrule who has the ability to do that."_

_"But you always do it willingly. Why?"_

_"I want to help the few people in this world that I do care about…"_

_"You actually care?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Is that how you do your duty, then? You do it for only a few people? Is Princess Zelda one of them?"_

_"That damned princess should be able to take care of her own damn self. I want to protect you, and a few others. Is that wrong?"_

_"No. It makes me happy, Link. I want to help you. I like that you want to help me, too."_

"Link, I want to help you!" Zelda cries out, her violet eyes peering into me. Then, and suddenly, a wave of anger rushed through my body, starting at the tips of my fingers and toes before surging through the rest of my body. I twitch slightly.

"Shut up!!" I scream, gripping her small hand even more tightly. "Shut up, will you? You sound…too much like her…"

"You mean the one you killed? Why would you worry about that? You obviously didn't care about her if you killed her, am I correct?"

"You don't know a damned thing, Zelda. Not a single damned thing." I seethe. "You would never understand the way I wanted to protect her or the why I wanted to be with her. You would never understand anything about me or what all the hell you've done to me!"

"What have I done to you but help you realize your duties?"

"Duties? I don't want these duties. I wanted…her. But no! I have to be haunted by you, Zelda. I hate you!"

"…" Zelda seems taken aback, wincing as the grip gets stronger. "Link, you're hurting me!"

"Good, hurt!" I scream back before suddenly releasing her hand, throwing it down. She stumbled back on her knees before regaining her posture. "Just get out! Get the hell out, now!! I will never tell you anything, nothing at all! Just go, leave now. My warning stands. If you value your worthless, little life, Zelda, then get the hell out."

"…" Zelda stands up, brushing her skirts off before walking to the door and placing a hand on the doorknob. "I will never understand you. And for as long as you're stuck here, I will keep trying to understand you." Zelda leaves the room, the door slamming shut behind her.

_I always dreaded when Zelda summoned me. I always went to her. She never called me to her. That must mean something bad. Another horrible mission?_

_"Okay, spit it out." That's the first thing that escaped my lips as I walked in. "What do you have up your sleeve for me this time, princess?"_

_"Something horrible as happened, Link." Zelda was in her usual garb, some form of white, pink, and purple, her hair flowing down her back like a golden waterfall. "A country west of the deserts launched an attack on the Gerudos early this morning. No one knows a thing about this country, but it seems to be after the powers our land holds."_

_"What does that mean?"_

_"I want you to go…investigate this for me, Link. The kingdom is vast, large, and confusing. Normal soldiers would be useless in a mission like this. I want to send the best of the best. Will you do this for me, Link?"_

_"You ask me like I have a choice." _

_"Oh, you have a choice. But a choice for the opposite would mean destruction to our radiant land, wouldn't it? Would you call that much of a choice?"_

_"I have something for more worth it than this land, princess." I said, crossing my arms and angered at her belittling of me. _

_"Think of it as you will, Link." Zelda sighed. "Just please go accomplish this. If you defeat the ominous presence, you may very well save Hyrule again."_

I hated the way she bossed me around. I was her servant. That's how the rest of the world saw me, too. I was a mindless servant, the knight-in-shining-armor to the gorgeous princess of Hyrule.

_She always hated it when I had to leave on missions.  
_

_"Link! Why you again? I thought the attack on the deserts wasn't nearly as bad as everyone had originally thought. How long will you be gone this time?"_

_"Zelda made it seem like I'd be gone for a hefty amount of time. I have a feeling it may be months, at the minimum."_

_"I have to go months without talking to you? How fair is that?"_

_"Not fair at all."_

_"But…You always come back more injured and much darker than the mission before it. Are you okay, Link?"_

_"I'm fine, okay? There's no need to worry about me. There are more important things to worry about. I'm only the Hero of Time, remember?"_

_"I think you have too much riding on your shoulders is all. One person can't carry the fate of world on their own. That's impossible."_

_"Zelda apparently thinks it's alright. Apparently I'm super human or something." _

_"That's not right. Now I have to go for months without out seeing or talking to you. That's horrible…But Link?"_

_"What is it?"_

_"Please come back in one piece. And…don't come back in a dark mood like you always do. If you think there's nothing else to look forward to except Zelda when you return, then you're wrong."_

_"I…promise. I'll come back and see you as soon as I can. And I'll be happy to see you."_

_"Good, because you always worry me when you're like that…I liked you better when you're sarcastic, joking Link. Dark Link scares me."_

_"No need to be scared. I wouldn't hurt you."_

I laugh dryly, the memories flooding into my mind like some kind of sick torture. _I wouldn't hurt you_. What a joke. Is this some kind of twisted irony? Is this punishment for regretting my job? Is this torture for not loving the princess or something?

If I was going to be punished like this, be put through this mind splitting pain like this, then why was she the one to suffer? Why did she die? She shouldn't have been caught up in that. Why did my hatred go out of control like that? I'm the Hero of Time. Why would I have to go and kill her?

What could possibly drive me to such an extreme?

**A/n:** Yay. I finally updated this thing. Amazing isn't it? Right. I rambled enough. I'm free to hear guesses on you y'all think the girl is. Go ahead. I don't care.

**REVIEW**!


	4. Something Farther Away

**A/n:** I'm back? Yay? Okay, whatever. Honestly, this story only has a few, (in my mind, only about 3 or 4 chapters left). I won't expand this story to a huge level. I'll elaborate more at the end, but this point, I'm writing it down as I think about it.

**Disclaimer:** Don't only Zelda. Sorry folks.

**Chapter 4: Something Farther Away**

"_If I cut you down to a thing I can use/ I fear there will be nothing left of you"_

_-_"Lose Control" by Evanescence

When did I become like this anyway? I've been tossing that thought around in my head for awhile. I don't _remember_ wanting to kill people. I don't remember ever hating anyone. When did this start? Why did this start? Am I completely unfixable?

I know it's had to have been many hours since she's been here. I've calmed since then. In that instant, where I realized everything, I wanted to kill her. I want to get rid of her. I want to help, in any way, ease this confusing pain I have inside me.

But I think I'm also afraid.

They're so similar…But I don't want to feel that…enjoyment again. That's the part that makes the sickest. _I enjoyed it._ And I don't understand that. Am I some sadistic creep now? Have I always wanted death? If I loved her so much, why would I kill her?

What justification do any of these people have for keeping me alive now? I've blatantly admitted to murder. Is she trying to torture me? Is this cruel and unusual punishment?

My biggest question is, how long is she going to play nice with me?

_I was called to the castle courtyards, like always. That was Zelda's "spot" according to Impa. She loved it there. And that was where Zelda officially assigned me every single one of my missions. It was like her own throne room. _

_I was early this time around. I was never early, and was quite proud of myself for dragging my ass out of bed early enough to get mission started at a decent time. I was about to round the corner into the courtyard, but a whispered conversation stopped me._

_"Princess, what do you mean exactly?" Impa's somewhat baritone voice asked._

_"I mean it exactly how it sounds, Impa." Zelda's voice said, but there was something off to the bell like ring to it. "It won't be too long now."_

_"Why are you trying this anyway?"_

_"He's getting…off. Besides, I don't think he can handle too much more stress. I'm sick of this playing around, Impa."_

_"Playing around?"_

_"He'll realize it sooner or later. I can't wait much longer. He'll figure it out. He's smart. A jerk at times, but smart. That's why he is what he is."_

_"So you're using his problem against him? Why didn't you ever tell him the consequences when you did that so long ago?"_

_"It was relevant, Impa. I just wanted things to be fixed. Now that the time is right, we should get everything started. I can only wait so long. I've been holding out for two years over the regular date."_

_"You're very insistent this, Princess." _

_"Why is that a problem?" _

_"I never said it was a problem."_

_"I just want to have a little fun with this, Impa. Doing it the old fashioned way would be so boring. You'll see how it all plays out, Impa. And it will work out like it's supposed to."_

I never really got the conversation. I never paid that much attention to details. I suspected the "he" might have been me…But…what would Zelda want?

The more I sat in this room, the more things came back to me. How much more complicated could any of this get? Seriously.

_"You're concerned, then, Link?"_

_"Well, duh." _

_"Oh, don't be so mean, Link. Seriously, though. What do you think she was saying?"_

_"I'm assuming something special will happen. You always think so negatively!"_

_"And how far as optimism gotten me?"_

_"Now you're just trying to be mean to me!"_

_"Ha! You're so soft! I'm just kidding with you. I don't mean it."_

_"You're just naturally mean, then, right?"_

_"Well, I guess I have to be a jerk to slay dragons and evil zombies and dark lords."_

_"I thought heroes were brave and heroic and full of valor and stuff?"_

_"Valor? Heroism? Ha! I'm far from any of those."_

_"You're brave! Look at how you've saved me so much! Or how you've save the Princess so much?"_

_"Zelda just waits to get kidnapped. I think it's her hobby or something."_

_"Why are you so mean to her, Link?"_

_"I'm not mean in so many words."_

_"You're always saying bad things about her! The people love her! She has to be doing something right. Why do you speak about her like you do?"_

_"I'm just sick of seeing her. Besides, I'm sick of the attention I get for working for her. People think I'm going to hook up with her one day because I'm the Hero of Time and she's the princess."_

_"I'm sure your first in line for a choice. Who else would be more qualified?"_

_"Quit being so nice. It's weird. I don't want to be a ruler. I just want to be normal."_

_"Normal?"_

_"Normal. With you. That's all I need."_

_"You're so sweet, but do you really think you can do that?"_

_"I want to. And I'll try hard to get it. You know I will."_

I can still hear myself telling her I would come back and we'd be together, and I wouldn't have to work for Zelda. I was assuming she'd get married. But…..was she really…holding out for me?

Speak of the devil…

"Link?" Zelda walks in the room, dressed in a somewhat different dress than before. As usual, she looked gorgeous, but she could dress in a paper bag and still manage to look gorgeous. She shuts the door carefully behind her.

"What now?"

"I want to know. But you're never going to tell me anything, are you?" Zelda has an unusually icy tone to her voice.

"No. And when were you going to figure that one out? After I snapped your wrist?"

"I have no need for your sarcasm." Zelda crosses her arms. Her expression is one that hasn't changed, serious and cold.

"Okay, princess, what did you come for then? And why are you so serious today?"

"For plenty of reasons." Zelda sighs loudly, leaning casually against the stone wall. "Do you remember that day?"

"What day?"

"That day. You know, killing her?"

"Why would you want to know anything? I don't…clearly remembered what happened."

I felt myself freeze. I didn't remember anything clearly. I don't remember what sparked any of it. What happened?

"Shock can be a horrible thing." Zelda says, her voice clear. "All you need is a little push."

"And what do you…mean by that?" I say, feeling myself tense up. Zelda strides over to me, a picture of beauty but with a strangely dark and familiar aura about her.

"You know..." Zelda bends forward, her lips to my ear. Why I haven't gotten up and punched her is beyond me. I'm frozen, and I feel her hot breath on my neck. "Remember this? 'Why do you look so surprised, Link? You know I want this more than anything!'"

_"Why do you look so surprised, Link? You know I want this more than anything!" she was suddenly in my face. There was no distance between us. Our bodies were pressed against one another; I was leaning on the wall. I was shocked, though. Suddenly, she was there, in front of me. All we were doing was talking. I asked her something, and something triggered something else. _

_"…What?" I was too…taken aback to come up with a coherent response. I was staring her straight in the eyes, her eyes had this weird, malicious glint to them and she had this creepy, somewhat greedy smirk across her face. Her soft hand trailed across my shoulder and she brought her face closer to me. _

_"Don't you love me? Or have you been lying this entire time about wanting to be with me, Link?"_

"What…?" Like a slap in the face, the memories were piecing together, one by one. Zelda was in my face, no distance between us as she had me against the wall. The malicious glint in her eyes was the same and the smirk on her face just as creepy. "That's…what she said…"

"Indeed that's what she said. You're a very smart hero, Link. Perhaps the rest will come together, hm?"

"What do you mean?" I was sick of asking that question.

"So many issues, you have Link." Zelda smirks more widely. "It's not wrong to play around a bit, right?" Our lips brushed, and suddenly I felt this cold chill pass through my body. There was this dark curtain closing over my mind.

_"You hate her so much, don't you?" My lips brushed with hers. Her hand had secured itself on my neck, our noses touched. The lack of space would normally seem comforting, but the way this was happening seemed so…evil and wrong. What was going on? She would never dream of doing this. This was so out of character for her._

_"You want to kill her? Do you hate being a hero? Do you hate me? What do you like? Shall we see? I want to see how much more it will take before you just…lose it? How long before you're insane? Hm?" In a matter of seconds, she smashed her lips against mine. They were cold, but it felt…strange. I wasn't protesting. The kiss was violent…crazy for lack of a better term, and during it, I don't think our bodies could possibly get any closer. _

_"You don't want this, do you? I do, though." She whispered once we parted. "Don't you think it'd be fun? Just to see how much more you can hate me?"_

_"I…I…I don't want…to hate you." _

_"You don't?" the smirk was evil and it almost scared me. "Then why are so spineless and letting me do this? You don't want to hate me?"_

_"I don't want to hate you! Don't do any of this?"_

_"Then why aren't you trying to break free? Or can you not stand the thought of losing my love? You love me so much right? You say it all time. What's wrong?"_

_"Everything's wrong, dammit! This is wrong!"_

_"No it's not. If you hate everything else so much, then why don't you hate me, too?" Our lips clashed again, and I couldn't find the will in me to do anything. My mind was full of all sorts of thoughts. This didn't sound like her, this didn't sound like her…That's all I could think of. _

_"Once I'm dead…what will you do then?"_

_And my world was black._

"So…what do you think?" I was staring into her awful violet eyes, her breath on my face. "Remember now?"

"I…I…What?"

What was happening? I was…calm…and I was angry…and confused and a variety of other adjectives. This was a parallel of what happened. It came back a full force but I couldn't piece everything together. Something was preventing me from understanding the situation.

"Perhaps you'll finally listen." Zelda says, her gloved hand brushing against my chest. "You're so stubborn. It's sad that this had to happen."

"…" I was frozen. Zelda cocked her head for a second, leaning forward a little more. Her golden hair brushed by cheeks. After another second of creepy silence, she pressed her lips against mine.

My eyes widened. They were cold, and the kiss was exactly like when she kissed me but Zelda's was definitely more violent. I wasn't protesting, an idea that scared me. I was beginning to realize that I was right all along. She was evil and she wanted to use me.

But did she...what did she do to me? I couldn't move. I never realized Zelda's power. She never fought. But at this moment, I couldn't move and I realized I was actually returning the violent kiss she was giving. There was fog in my mind, and my thoughts were getting more and more jumbled.

I found myself placing my hands on her waist, her arms snaked themselves around my neck.

"See, this is fun." Zelda said, her voice a breathless whisper. "It will be better with me, I swear. I need you after all, it's what everyone expects."

"…"

"You're doing well." One of the straps of Zelda's gown fell limply down her arm. "This will be…fun."

"…"

Fun?

"Besides, there's not much more you can do. You know something? There's a reason why I am what I am. I can stop you, Link. The Hero of Time is all-powerful, you know."

"…What…do you…mean, by that?" I choke out, finding words hard to put together.

"Free speech will get troublesome, Link." Zelda lets the other strap fall, as well, purposefully this time. I find I can't speak anymore.

And then I find myself freezing, cold, and maybe even a little scared. But then she kisses me again, more passionately, more greedily.

And I find myself freezing more and more…

**A/n:** Don't ask me what's going one anymore. I'm trying to make this all tie together somehow without making everything seem confusing.

My goal with this story is to make Zelda and Link both relatively unlikable. In the end, I'll let you choose who is good and who isn't. 

I'm satisfied thus far, but give me reviews! Please?


	5. Stars Without a Moon

**A/n:** Hey, look, my writing muses returned from vacation. I don't know why they went away so long, but they came back and that's all that matters!

It wasn't just a slight case of writer's block that kept me from updating. Here is my life since last June: new job, graduation from high school, lots of hours due to said job, orientation for college, college starts, lots and lots of stuff to do because of said college, some personal problems of my own and having to work all of that out, losing my job because store closed, more college, helping my friend out with some stuff, and trying to find new job.

And onto this a desire to improve my drawing abilities, a slight case of writer's block, and planning a crossover story with my friend. If it counts for anything, I have, like, half of the next chapter for _Of Light and Shadows_ written. Yay me!

Right, so…uh…Sorry this is late. I have no idea what I'm doing anymore, so I apologize if some of this looks like it's being pulled from my ass. This story has just been, one random idea tied to the next random idea. So…Yeah. I apologize if this ends up being one giant _Higurahsi _-like storm of confusion.

Okay, so, uh, if anyone cares, I still haven't updated _Of Light and Shadows_. I'm still working on that. I have, like, seven pages of it written, so that's about half…But…

Whatever, I'll shut up and we can start this now.

**Chapter 5: Stars Without a Moon**

"_I want you now/ I'll feel my heart implode/ and I'm breaking out/ escaping now/ feeling my faith erode" _

-"Hysteria" by Muse

_"You've proven yourself quite useful, Link." Her voice taunted me, a finger calmly moving along my bare chest. "Actually, you've exceeded my expectations."_

_ "…" I didn't respond. I didn't have the will to respond. _

_ "Oh, you have nothing to say?" Her warm breath touched my cheek as she rolled over, propping herself up above me with her arms. "It's rather rude to ignore a lady that's speaking to you, isn't it?"_

_ "…" I could barely contain my hatred as I stared into her violet eyes._

_ "Well…I guess it can't be helped." Zelda's lips twisted into a smirk. She leaned down a little bit further. "Soon, you'll see how fruitful our actions have been, Link. I promise you that." Her lips brushed against mine as we spoke. The sweet smell of flowers that came off of her golden hair, which was somewhat unkempt at the moment, seemed so unfitting of the grin on her face. _

_ She finally leaned down and kissed me again, and there was a sudden wave of black that clouded my mind as I responded the action. My mind was blind as I felt my hand run through those disgustingly beautiful locks of hair. She finally just laid down on top of me, her arms probably tired from propping herself up, and she continued to trace fingers along my chest and shoulders._

_ "Not only have you proven to be useful. You've proven to be quite enjoyable as well, my dear."_

All I have is my mind.

I don't have anything else right now. All I have left is what's left of my mind- my shattered will to live, broken like a fragile glass vase. It's not as if I have any reason to try anymore. There's this fog that clouds my logic, this shadow that has rooted itself in my soul. There are only the shards of my will, lying unwanted on the floor.

She has me right where she wants me.

But what reason is there to fight what she has done?

"Has the cat gotten your tongue, my dear?" Zelda trails out from the bathroom, where she was getting ready. There was a malicious joking tone to her voice that would have pissed of the old me. She inspected herself in the mirror. She had her hair only pulled back half way, partly swept up in a royal headpiece, and the rest of her hair fell over her shoulders, bare due to her gown. She finished putting in her earrings, and turned to me, some strands of hair falling into her face.

"Oh, don't take jokes so harshly." She walked up to me and began messing with my collar, straightening it. She brushed her gloved hands over my shoulders before fixing a button on my dress jacket. "You look dashing. But this isn't a surprise to me. I'll go see how everything is going. You just stay here like a good pet." Zelda twirled around, leaving the room.

A silence befalls the room and suddenly, everything seems at a standstill. For a moment, as I stare around the fancy bedroom, the world seems to stop. This is a sudden and uncomfortable change, seeing as how everything seems to blur together nowadays. I take a few short steps across the plush carpet, stopping in front of a tall mirror.

I realize I haven't looked at myself in the mirror for quite sometime. I developed this innate fear of looking at myself. I was afraid of facing the person looking back, I guess, as ridiculous as that might sound.

Was it really that, though? It sounds so unlike me- to avoid looking in a mirror because I'm afraid to face myself. Perhaps it's something deeper, in some sense. Maybe, instead of being afraid of facing myself, I felt it wasn't worth it anymore? I was too aware of myself and my shortcomings to be afraid to face them.

Maybe I was afraid that if I looked in the mirror, all of those shortcomings would devour me. All of those fears, those mistakes, those regrets…those damned fragments of my spirit, would form together into some vicious monster that would tear me limb by limb, slowly and mercilessly.

Maybe I'm just trying to suppress that beast- that soul-draining, horrific monster that wants to rip apart this empty shell. If I keep it hidden, keeping locked away in the darkest shadows of my mind, maybe I can just pretend it doesn't exist.

But now, I'm staring deep and hard into the blue eyes that stare at me back. There's no sparkle to them, and they're a dim, cloudy blue. My skin has pale, with a very slight grayish hue to it that makes me almost seem sickly. I've lost my usual tunic hat for this occasion. Zelda has dressed me up in rather royal-looking clothing. Everything intricately made, right down to the gold threading and detail against the rich, forest green color of the outfit itself.

I lift a gloved hand to touch the mirror, the me in the mirror responds in kind, and we linger there for a moment, fingers separated forever by the mirror's glass-a barrier separating realities. We stare at each other for an undetermined amount of time, unblinkingly, as if trying to figure out one another's thoughts-or beings.

But no matter how long I stare at this strange me in the mirror, the answers don't come. I reach no realization. Instead, my mind remains this storm of unlinked thoughts and unrecognizable feelings. Our realities never touch, our thoughts never link together. No words can reach each other, our voices silenced by that barrier that keeps us apart.

It's an interesting feeling- the loss of control. There is an interesting sensation that comes with being used, a loss of common sense that comes with being a puppet.

I wonder if the me in that mirror ponders that, too. Does he lose that rationality, that logic that comes with self-control? Does he, too, find himself bound by unwanted lust and desires?

That barrier won't let me ask. Words bounce against an invisible barricade, and once again, we are clueless and lost, still touching, still staring at one another, but never actually connected.

A creak in the door causes me turn my head, my hand still lingering on the mirror. Zelda waltzes into the room, her gown flowing behind as if some holy breeze follows her around. She turns, some of her hair flipping over her shoulder. She lifts a delicate eyebrow before walking up behind me.

"Quite handsome treasure, aren't you?" Zelda says, wrapping her arms around my waist. She glances at herself in the mirror.

"….I suppose." I mutter, my hand slowly sliding from the mirror and back down to my side.

"Tonight shall be a glorious evening." Zelda says, resting her head against my back. Her hands, still wrapped around my waist, begin stroking up and down my chest, softly, teasingly. "You look simply wonderful. We make quite a couple, according to the public."

"…" I simply nod my head.

"You make a glorious pet, my dear." Zelda's lips are curved into a smile, slowly turning me around to face her. "A good pet is quiet, obedient, and listens to her master. All of that considered, you are that and more." Her delicate hands cup my either side of my face, her amethyst eyes peering into my eyes and beyond. One hand begins to lightly stroke the side of my face, brushing some of my hair out of the way. She leans up and we are face-to-face.

"…" I just nod as much as her grip will allow.

"Perfect in every way." Her lips brush against my sensually, her warm breath tickling my nose. Our bodies are quite close now, and I can feel the curves our bodies meeting, in hauntingly perfect harmony. She's fitted her hourglass figure tightly into her gown, and from the angle I'm at, I can see the small amount of cleavage that's allowed herself to show, only enough to be a tease. "Of course, after tonight things will be quite different. There will be many changes to the way we live our life."

"…" I nod like the "obedient" dog that I am, allowing myself to get lost in the moment.

"Remember, my dear." Zelda says, the fragrance of sweet flowers coming from her hair. "You are my pet-my obedient pet. There's nothing that can be done about this. My _plan_ has come to fruition. You know this. I've gotten your signature in the deal, you know."

"…" I nod my head again.

"It isn't as if you have the will to run away anyway." Zelda says, running a finger along my shoulder. "I'm glad, though, that this worked out. My night isn't wasted away. Life is a little more exciting as a pet, isn't it, my dear."

"Yes…I suppose." I just nod again, muttering softly.

"Good answer, my little puppy." Zelda smirked, a light giggle escaping her lips as she came up with new nicknames for me. "Regardless, there are few things about tonight that I must tell you about."

"…" I nodded again.

"First off, as I said before, you are my pet. I do all of the talking." Zelda explains. "Don't say a word. Simply nod and go along with it. Anything you say will probably just confuse things, anyways. Stay by my side, also. We go in together and we leave together, understand, my dear?"

"Alright." I mumble.

"Good puppy." Zelda leans up and her lips meet mine in a simple kiss. "Very good. Very well, come." Zelda grabbed my arm and led me out of the room gently.

_"How?!" Impa exclaimed, a look of surprise gleaming in her red eyes. She looked us both up and down, as if her mind was processing what Zelda had just explained to her._

_ "It is as it sounds, Impa." Zelda said calmly, her arm linked in mine. I stood there, quiet as instructed, letting Zelda explain to Impa her news._

_ "Well…" Impa trailed off for a moment. "The 'plan' you mentioned. Did it work?"_

_ "Of course. It worked perfectly and more." Zelda cocked her head, smiling. "I couldn't have asked for anything better."_

_ "So, you two are…engaged now?" Impa asked hesitantly._

_ "Yes. We will announce this formally at the annual ball." Zelda explained, as if this was just common sense. It was quite an elegant evening when he asked, too! Just romantic on some many levels."_

_ "I wouldn't expect anything less." Impa shrugged. "Well, then. Then this means that you will become queen upon marrying him, right? You picked well, Zelda. He was the only one your father wanted for you."_

_ "Yes, I know. Link is quite a man." Zelda smiled again, her grip on my arm tightening. "Hyrule will be thrilled at this coming age of peace, I'm sure. No one can do a better job at ruling this country than the two of us."_

_ "There's no doubt about it." Impa nodded in approval, crossing her arms. "The Hero of Time who saved this country and the brave princess who helped him...Perfect."_

_ "Perfect, indeed." Zelda grinned. "It will all be perfect."_

The hallways of this castle have always seemed like a maze to me. It was this labyrinth of halls and rooms that seem to connect together this never ending loop. Arm-in-arm, Zelda and I make our around these levels of red-carpeted floor and marble walls. As we passed the windows, I could see that night had come, and the sky was like a navy blue curtain covering the land, embroidered with rare and beautiful gems.

Yet, despite the beauty of the stars, it seemed sad…lonely. Hopeless, in a way. Deep in side, I felt this lingering feeling of fear and restlessness. Was this some sort of bad omen?

How would I know?

_I lay there, my eyes staring unblinkingly at the ceiling above me. It was pretty warm, not too cold, and the satin blankets were pushed down to my lower waist, and I felt the warm morning sunlight caressing my bare skin. I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings otherwise. I had gotten used to this routine by now- get up, listen to Zelda, go to bed, listen to Zelda…Everything seemed orderly somehow now with her calling the shots._

_ The early morning was pretty calm, except for the rustling from inside the bathroom. Nights the past few weeks had been relentless and crazy. This morning, Zelda seemed slightly preoccupied and had gotten up rather early. She hadn't left the bathroom for several hours. I just waited._

_ The lock on the bathroom door clicked and the door open. It seems she had taken a warm shower, because she stood in the doorway, a towel wrapped around what was necessary, her bright hair plastered to her face and neck. A giant cloud of steam erupted from behind her, set from the warm prison of the bathroom._

_ I just glance at her, waiting for her to do something._

_ She walks towards me, calmly and elegantly, the towel slipping off just a little, a smirk growing on her face with every step._

I realize as we're navigating this long maze that there is no moon tonight. I guess that's why it seemed so dark as we walked. The only thing illuminating my surroundings were the lights of the stars, who tried their best to light up the world. Despite their efforts, everything seemed oddly dim and lifeless. Without the moon to guide them, the stars seemed so empty and aimless.

My mind wanders as we continue our journey, slowly and steadily, as to ensure a grand entrance.

My mind wanders to the stars and the night without any goal. Were they puppets to their celestial leaders? Were they, too, trying to stare at their reflections and wonder what was on the other side of that impenetrable reality? Did they ever stare long and hard at themselves, reaching out with all their light, only to find themselves blocked by a wall that wouldn't allow them to complete themselves?

Were they afraid that the moon was absent tonight? Were they afraid they may stray down the wrong path, get lost, lonely, and forget their purpose? Or did they ever have a purpose?

"Well, we're here." Zelda's voice breaks my eyes from the nearest window and I turn, simply nodding. My "moon" was certainly present tonight. There would never be a night where she wasn't now, ready to absorb my light and overshadow my presence. The grand doors to ballroom open and, with a loud announcement, the royal audience of the night stared up at us in wonder. We walked down the large staircase, arm-in-arm, and this aura of beauty following us. There were whispers among the nobles, who glanced at us as they chattered away about the future rulers of this glorious country.

Impa was waiting for us, the loyal bodyguard that she was. She smiled in approval as she stared between the two of us. I merely nodded my head to acknowledge to her existence, not saying a word, per Zelda's commands.

"A beautiful couple." Impa said. "I never got the chance to talk to you earlier, princess. You said there was something you wanted to talk to me about?

_An hour or so after she left the bathroom, we lay side-by-side on the bed, the towel barely covering her now dry body. We hadn't done anything, surprisingly. She had merely explained the plans for the ball in a few days, and what we would say and explain._

_ "How…will…anyone take that?" I ask, mashing my sentence together messily._

_ "What do you mean? We won't announce that right away." Zelda responded. "The country is simply pleased that we will be wed. But, as things stand, it would be best to make this happen as soon as possible."_

_ "……" I just nodded in agreement._

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Come, Impa. Walk with us." Zelda gestured, her arm still firmly holding me as we walk off to the garden, away from the crowds. It was far enough away that the world couldn't listen in. We settle ourselves in the dark garden, blanketed by the dim light of the stars. Impa seems somewhat curious by where Zelda has led us.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me?" Impa turned, lifting an eyebrow.

I look up at the sky. My mind must be playing tricks on me. It looks as if some of the stars begin to blink out, one by miserable one.

"Don't look so worried Impa." Zelda smiled, her voice like a bell.

"I'm not."

"Good. I've got wonderful news for this country. I bring not only an age of peace with me as queen, but I come bearing a child, as well."

**A/n:** HAHAHAHA. I'm proud of this chapter. I think everything turned out well. Like I said, sorry if this ends up sounding like some funky bondage-_Higurashi_-cracked out mess. Random idea connected to another one, I'm tellin' ya.

Review, and all that jazz.


	6. Voice of the Storm

**A/n**: Here is another confusing chapter of this story that I have no idea what I'm doing with. Yay. It takes me forever to update this story because I honestly write by the seat of my pants. I have no idea what I'm doing when I put together a chapter. The fact that I even have a fragment of a plot amazes me.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Zelda.

**Chapter 6: Voice of the Storm**

"_Not knowing how to think/ I scream aloud, begin to sink/ with envy for the solid ground/ I'm reaching for the life within me/ how can one man stop his ending/ I thought of just your face/ relaxed, and floated into space"_

-"Into the Ocean" by Blue October

The ticking of that clock stopped annoying me a long time ago. It used to piss me off so much. That incessant _tick tick tick tick_. It always seemed to me that that annoying ticking sound made time move so fast, and I didn't like that. It's weird, though, right? Most people like time to "go fast", even if time "going fast" is just a trick of the mind.

I tricked my mind into thinking that life was slow, like pouring thick molasses out of a jar. Slow and steady. There was no rush anymore. I had nothing to rush about. Everything was taken care of for me at this point. It was as if I couldn't do anything by myself. Everyone was always clothing me and choosing my meals and making decisions for me.

But…I don't remember how all those simple things were done. I don't remember "normality". The days where I knew how to clothe myself and feed myself and think for myself seem like distant memories. It was during those days where I could "be normal" that I had _her._ Life seemed so simple, and, if I look back on those days, it was perfect.

The words spoken between us on those simple, normal days seem like tiny whispers carried away on the winds of a storm. That _storm_ came and washed away everything, my normality, my life, my ability to "be normal". It was as if, when that cold rain and those violent winds took away _her_, I lost a part of myself- my humanity.

Is that what I lost that day? Did that raging _storm_ come and steal away my humanity? Was my humanity always _her_? Was she always the better half of me? The peaceful, simple half of me? Was she my normality?

And that _storm_. That violent _storm_. How do I even talk about that _storm_? It's never ending, raging winds, it's rain that falls like needles, it's lightning that strikes down everything in its path…Did that storm steal my humanity? Is _she_ still in that storm somewhere, calling out fearfully, reaching out in the darkness for my hand?

_"Come on, Link. You lazy bum! You have to work harder than that!"_

Her voice still haunts me. I hear her voice in my thoughts, my dreams. I hear her voice in that goddess-forsaken _ticking_ sound. I hear her voice when spring showers come and wash away the winter. I hear her voice on a gentle, summer breeze. I hear it in the sounds of night cicadas, in the rustling grass, in the neighing of the horses, in the opening of the castle gates, in the creaking sounds of a carriage as it rides across the landscape.

I even hear her voice when that _storm_ speaks. I hear her voice when the _storm_ wraps its arms around me caresses me with its winds, strikes me with its lightning. I hear her when the storm draws me in, traps me in the middle of its cyclone, shackling me with knife-like gales, muting my thoughts with its thunder.

Her voice sounds so distant there, so warped and twisted. It's like a broken instrument. Just a twisted collection of mismatched notes. But it's there. Somewhere, trapped, it's there, and I can hear her every waking moment of my life.

And I just want her to go away now.

_"Everything is going well, Link." Zelda said, turning to me, who sat on the bed with little interest. She was dressed in a rich, purple maternity gown, made of silk in the finest quality, the bright color of amethysts. She was inspecting herself in the mirror, pulling her hair back. "Isn't this great?" she turned to me._

_ "I guess so." I said, still uninterested. _

_ "Oh, you should sound more enthusiastic." Zelda responded. Her belly had swelled up considerably in the past few months. Her once petite body had grown curvy as the baby inside of her grew. She placed a hand on her stomach, smiling at me. "I wonder what this baby will be. A boy or a girl?"_

_ "I'm not sure." I said obediently. She just smirked a bit, amused at my response. She had me right where she wanted me. She had every reason to toy with me some more. _

_ "I'm amazed at what a good boy you've been, Link." Zelda bent down, whispering in my ear. As she spoke to me, her voice was hypnotizing, like a sick lullaby. As she stroked my cheek, her touch was poisonous and burning. But, as she caressed by cheek and whispered sensually in my ear, I realized I didn't care anymore._

_ I didn't care what happened anymore. _

I was sitting on my bed, by back to door, staring outside as dark, grey storm clouds rolled in from far off. It was quiet except for the _ticking_ and the booms of thunder in the distance. I liked that silence. That was another change from before- I hated to hear myself think. But now, I didn't really do that anymore. The silence was pleasant.

"Link?" Zelda's voice broke the silence, but I didn't turn around. "Good, there you are. We need to talk."

"…" I nod my head a bit as she joined me on the bed, sitting with me as I watched the storm come in.

"You do know the coronation ceremony is soon, don't you?" Zelda asks.

"Yes." I say simply, holding little interest in the subject.

"Good." she responds, a satisfied grin on her face, like she's just confirming this to satisfy herself. She clasps her delicate hands on her swelling belly, whispering sweet coos to the baby inside of her. As she did this, she reached and adjusted the ring on her left ring finger, touching the delicate diamonds of the ring. "It makes me so happy that we can finally be together, Link." She took my limp hand in hers.

"Yeah." I say and she doesn't seem to care what my answer is. She just sits there, that satisfied grin on her face. As another boom of thunder comes, I look down, at the simple ring on my finger. I barely even notice it there most of the time. It's become part of my being, like I've been bound to her in some fashion.

I just didn't care anymore.

"_Link! Come on!" she waved to me, jumping up and down, waving her hands in the air enthusiastically. "You slow-poke. You can finish your work faster than that!"_

_ "Yeah, you try carrying this." I shoot back, playfully annoyed._

_ "That's why I'm making you carry it." She laughed. "What happened to all your blabbering about carrying heavy stuff is a man's job?"_

_ "I didn't actually have to carry anything heavy then." _

_ "You lazy jerk!" she sighed loudly, exasperated. I finally finished what I was doing and made my way to the girl, who was still yelling at me about how lazy I was. I told her that lazy bums don't save the world, but she still yelled at me and told me that I was making excuses and that I was slacking off._

_ We sat in the grass in perfect, peaceful silence. It was just a simple end to a simple day of work. Simple, but perfect in its own flawed way. It was as perfect as a normal, daily life of working got. And it was the kind of perfect that I liked, the kind of perfect that made my happy._

_**She**__was perfect._

Storms have come to symbolize bad things to come for me. Every time a storm comes rolling in from far off lands, it's dark grey clouds billowing over the innocent landscape, I can hear the threat of unfortunate events, the laughter of the storm as it brings misfortune and pain.

Though, would I really call any of it bad? How do I define "bad" nowadays? People define "bad" as unfortunate, sad, things that make you "unhappy". But what if you don't feel happiness? Don't you need feelings in order to consider things bad? Don't you need to _care_ in order to consider things bad?

I guess my life the past few years could easily fall under the "bad" category in a normal person's book. I can find simple coincidences in my life, but I wouldn't say I even understand the concept of "bad" and "good" anymore.

A coincidence is a funny little concept. I can see coincidences all over the place. There are many things in my life that are "coincidences", I suppose.

Like, the day I got married, it was storming.

_People needed to stop asking me how I was being so calm. I didn't care about their opinion. I didn't understand their questions. I just nodded and acknowledged them like Zelda told me to do, but I didn't like them asking me about my future and telling me how lucky I was to be marrying the princess, how fabulous life would be, how it was destiny that the Hero of Time was marrying Zelda, and having a child no less!_

_ No one cared that Zelda got pregnant out of wedlock. Since it was Hero of Time that made it happen in the first place, no one paid any heed or saw any bad omen in the fact that their little princess was a bit promiscuous and "accidentally" got pregnant before she was married._

_ Not like it mattered or anything._

_ I just stood at the altar, like a good boy, staring out the windows while I was waiting for this ceremony to start. Outside, the skies were a dim, grey color, and cold water leaked out of the clouds continuously- it had been raining since we had woken up to get ready. There were a few light claps of thunder, but no violent strikes of lightning yet. Impa claimed that we'd be able to finish the ceremony before any bad weather blew along. _

_ The grey skies seemed to starkly contrast the brightly colored flowers that lined the windows in little ribbons. Little flowers of purple and blue were strung together, delicately, and the once boring temple was now a budding rose garden, splashes of rich color decorating the dreary white walls. _

_ I lost track of time, I guess, but eventually the music snapped me out of my storm-watching and I turned my head like a good groom as my bride entered the room, basking everyone around in her in her classic, radiant princess-glow. Everyone seemed to lose themselves for a moment as her flawless beauty took the crowds breath away. She hadn't begun to show yet, so was still able to pull off a slim-fitting gown and plunging neckline. _

_ After her ridiculous walk down the isle, she stepped in front of me, her blond hair covered by a veil, her violet eyes staring at me. _

_ And then the lighting crashed._

I think she was still sitting next to me. I wasn't sure anymore, because I hadn't been paying much attention in the first place. My eyes were focused intently on the brewing storm, listening to see if I could hear her voice on the thunder.

_"Did you know that the earlier the first spring storm comes, the better the season will be for growing flowers?" she asked me, a gleam in her eyes as she told me about her latest fun fact._

_ "No, I guess that's good." I said, sitting at the kitchen table next to her, watching her as she gazed at the storm that was coming. She loved rain. To her, rain was a good sign of things to come. "Why are you so excited again? It's just rain."_

_ "With rain, comes life, Link. Duh." she responded somewhat sarcastically, as if this were common knowledge. _

_ "What do you mean by that?"_

_ "Us life forms down here on the land need water to live." she explained. "When it rains, the grass grows and the flowers grow and the animals clean off and cool down from the heat. Rain brings out the best in people."_

_ "I guess you're right about that." _

_ "That's why I like rain. It feeds the animals and the flowers and the grass. It refreshes us land dwellers, so we can feel cool and nourished, too."_

_ "Do you really think that rain brings out the best in people?" I questioned her optimism. "I mean, that's a little extreme, isn't it?"_

_ "Not really. If rain brings life, how can it bring us pain, too?"_

"I am going to go and do some things now, Link." Zelda stands up, and bends down, brushing my cheek with her soft hand. "Be a good boy and don't do anything rash, okay?"

"Yeah." I respond.

"Spoken like a true husband, Link."

"Sure." I continue to stare as the door clicked shut. I didn't really even notice her exit.

_"Link, are you happy?" she asked me one night._

_ "Yeah. You're here. I'm happy." I responded, pulling her close to me. _

_ "Good, because I want to make sure. We have a long life together, after all. My dad will be so happy when he hears the good news!"_

_ "He won't be angry and try to skin me alive?" _

_ "Why would he? He loves you! He thinks you're great!"_

_ "Well, it's not what I'd say is news that parents take so easily."_

_ "My dad is really laidback, you know that. Like I said, he'll be happy for us. He loves you."_

_ "Of course._

_ "Are you really happy, Link?"_

_ "Yes, don't worry. I'm happy. You're here, I'm here, and we'll be together as a family soon enough. I'm happy."_

The thunder got louder. I could see the white flashes on the horizon. The storm clouds are getting darker. This storm is going to be pretty severe, it seems.

"Link!" I barely turn my head, still engrossed in my weather-watching. I see Impa, breathing heavily at my door, half hanging on the door frame like she had run here from another side of the castle.

"What?" I ask softly, turning back to oncoming storm.

"It's Zelda!"

"What?"

"The baby is coming! Come, quick!"

"Alright." I stood calmly, turning to the worried Sheikah and following her out of the room. Swiftly we walked down the elaborate hallways, navigating our way through the marble labyrinth. As we walked, I looked out the window again. The skies had gotten blacker and the lightning flashes were more of a purplish color than a white flash. The sky looked like pitch-black nighttime, like the day had simply disappeared.

The day was gone now, nothing left but a stormy night in its place. A stormy night that had come and taken away the daytime sun.

As we walked closer, I could hear Zelda's screams of pain. There is an army of baffled maids on hand, standing diligently outside of the room waiting for orders. Moving the maids aside, Impa and I walk in the room. Sitting on the bed was a sweaty, hurt Zelda, her face flushed from effort, her violet eyes dazed in fatigue.

"Link." she mumbles, holding her hand out weakly for me. Like a good husband I grab it. Impa is helping the doctor. "I'm…glad you're here. You can…see…our beautiful baby."

"Yeah." I say, nodding my head. She lets out another scream and Impa and the doctor immediately get to work.

_"What would we name our baby if it was a girl?" Zelda mused, sitting next to me on a bench in the garden. She was fiddling with a purple flower, glancing at me for an answer._

_ "I don't know." I answer, staring off into space._

_ "It has to be something radiant. I'm sick of this tradition of naming princesses Zelda." she declared. "Something beautiful, but I'm not sure what. I have a few in mind. Care to hear?"_

_ "Sure." _

_ "I was thinking maybe something spring-like, like Mae. Or maybe something flowery, like Violet. Or something elegant like Annette. What do you think?"_

_ "They're good." _

_ "Any combination of those names would work." Zelda tapped her chin, a satisfied grin on her face. She loved being in charge. "I've just got the feeling that it's going to be a girl."_

_ "Okay."_

_ "A girl. Indeed, that's what it will be."_

The storm clouds are about as black and ominous as they can be now. They float around the castle like some sort of prison guard, watching the inhabitants carefully.

"Just a little more, Zelda!" Impa calls out, her voice a mixture of exhaustion and happiness. Zelda lets out another final yell, one that is loud and bloodcurdling before another scream becomes blended with hers, mixing together in some sort of chorus.

"There, you did it!" Impa declares as the baby's screaming begins ringing throughout the room. Zelda's head falls back on her soft pillow, sweat dripping down her face, plastering her hair to her cheeks.

"A beautiful baby girl!" Impa seems so happy, she could cry. The baby is healthy, a little red, but none the worse for the wear. Impa hands the baby, wrapped up in soft purple blankets, to Zelda, who cradles the baby in her arms.

"Isn't she just splendid, Link?" Zelda asks, her finger stroking the cheek of the child.

"Yes. She is." I say, trying to say more than one word to avoid any questions from the curious doctor.

"Look at how healthy and beautiful she is!" Zelda coos. Impa is sitting on the side of the bed, looking at the baby with Zelda.

"It's a bit funny the she doesn't have blond hair, princess." Impa laughs. "I was wondering when one of the other random hair colors in your genes would show up again.

"Yes. I think her hair is just splendid." Zelda smiled. "It's just the right shade of orange-red. The ancestor that had that hair was gorgeous, if I recall."

"Yes. Princess, what are you naming her?"

"Mae."

"Mae? That's a cute name. And perfect in some way."

"Link, you should hold our baby!" Zelda turns her head towards me. I look down and nod, complying with her request. I pick up the small bundled baby, staring down at this child that's apparently mine.

_"If rain brings life, how can it bring us pain, too?"_

I freeze. I hear her voice in the sound of the baby coos. I look down, staring at this child, trying to find her voice again. The baby is pretty, as expected of Zelda. She has bright blue eyes and reddish-orange hair that sits on a tuft atop her head, mostly covered by her purple blanket.

She cries again. And lightning crashes, lighting the room up with its violent purple flashes, blanketing us for only a moment in brilliant amethyst light.

She cries one more time. And the lightning crashes again.

_"Rain brings out the best in people." _

As the lightning keeps crashing and the rain keeps pelting the windows and as the baby keeps crying, I search deep in her ocean blue eyes, in "Mae's" eyes. I search in those eyes, trying desperately to find something missing. Trying to find everything I lost so long ago. I'm trying to find what I haven't had, what I'll never have, everything that I never thought would come back again.

What is it that I'm trying to find?

_"If rain brings life, how can it bring us pain, too?" _

As the lightning crashes once more, I think. Am I trying to find the simplicity? That humanity? That happiness? That emotion?

Her voice that follows me everywhere?

Lightning crashes again.

And then I realize something.

I'm looking in these eyes, trying to find _her._

**A/n:** Okay, I'll say I'm extremely pleased with out this chapter turned out. Everything flows so well.

And I'll just confirm it, yes, the chick is Malon. I'm not making much of an effort to hide that and I never have. I won't refer to her by name though. I think it adds a hint of sadness, a confirmation of her death, and kind of a sense of mysteriousness if she's simply called "her" or "she" in the story. Usually, "her" or "she" will be italicized, though.

And I intended for the baby to look like Malon.

Please review!


	7. Her Ocean

**A/n: **I decided I had neglected this story far too long and decided to update again. These chapters are really fun to write, actually, even if I don't know what I'm doing plot-wise.

**Disclaimer:** Whatever.

**Chapter 7: Her Ocean**

"_There's a burning in my pride/ a nervous bleeding in my brain/ an ounce of peace is all I want for you/ will you ever call again?/ and will you never say that you love me just put in my face?/ and will you never try to reach me?/ it is I that wanted space"_

-"Hate Me" by Blue October

She's staring at me.

Those eyes, those big blue eyes, have been staring at me. Unblinkingly, curiously, thoughtfully, sweetly. In all these different ways, she's been staring at me.

And it scares me.

I'm scared to lose myself in those eyes, of drowning in those oceans. I'm terrified that if I look into those eyes, become entranced by the flawless color, I'll begin to feel something again. I'm afraid that I'll try remembering "humanity" again, that I'll try to remember that distant "happy" feeling, that I'll try to find that that part of me that I forgot about.

I'm terrified that I'll try to find _her_ again.

I've tried before. I think I'm afraid of failure. When I first held her tiny, frail body in my arms, I tried diving into those sapphire pools, hoping that if I swam far enough in, I'd find _her_, lost at the bottom of a dark, endless ocean, waiting for a hand to grab her and bring her light again.

I can't find _her. _I can only see _her. _Her image was always locked in the back of my mind before. I tried my best to forget _her._ But now I see _her. _She follows me everywhere, always watching me, always asking me questions, always holding my hand, always being my shadow.

Why is it that everything about her still haunts me? Why is it that I keep looking for her, desperately trying to find her in the shadows of this wretched mind of mine, keep trying to hear her calls for help in every noise that I hear? Why is it that, no matter how hard I try, she'll never stop following me, never stop calling my name, never stop reaching for my hand?

Why is it that, despite everything, I can still never find _her_?

_"Link, she's walking!" Zelda clapped her hands together, staring at Mae as she made her way clumsily across the carpeted floor. I stood next to her, some figment of emotion lingering in my eyes as I watched the uncoordinated toddler try her best to get to her parents, her arms outstretched, a grin on her flawless face._

_ She was gorgeous child. That was declared practically upon birth. Zelda thought it as great that finally a hair color other than blond made it into the family. Red hair was deep in her sophisticated genes somewhere, she claimed. Mae, though, was unique in her beauty: plain, natural, a little flawed in a pretty sort of way. As she became a toddler, her orange-red hair had reached a fiery tint, and her blue eyes had gotten bigger and more puppy-like. Yellow was her color, Zelda decided, since Zelda declared it was the color of summer flowers, whatever that meant. _

_ So there was little Mae, making her way over to us in a puffy yellow dress in the bright color of sunshine, her little dress shoes tapping against the floor in a disconnected rhythm. _

_ "Come on, dear, you can do it!" Zelda seemed so engrossed in her child as she knelt on the floor to scoop her little darling, caressing the girl's soft hair. "Isn't this great, Link? She's getting stronger every day!"_

_ "Yeah, I guess it is." I said, looking off to the side. _

_ "What is it, Link? You seem so…distracted." Zelda asked, her voice challenging rather than concerned. _

_ "Nothing." _

_ "Are you sure?"_

_ "No."_

_ Our conversation cut short when Mae outstretched her arms for me, her blue eyes sparkling in excitement, her fat, stubby arms waving desperately for her father. _

_**She**__ was reaching for me again._

"Link?" Zelda's voice caught my attention and I turned emotionlessly to her as she walked in the room. She slid into the spot next to me on the bed, the scent of fresh flowers on her porcelain skin. "It's been awhile since I've been able to talk to you, Link."

"Oh." I respond.

"I'm coming to praise you on your job as Royal Pet, Link." Zelda says, her voice losing the motherly tone she was used to keeping up. "I'm quite pleased with that."

"Yeah." I speak and feel a cold chill as she moves her finger along the outline of my jaw.

"You're mind has been preoccupied, lately, hasn't it, Link?" her voice is low.

"I guess." I say.

"I might have an idea of what you're thinking about, my dear." her voice holds a seductive tone to it, her bare shoulder rubbing against thin fabric of my shirt.

_"Hey, Link!" she said, her voice was high-pitched, like she was too excited to speak at a normal pace._

_ "What?" I turn, putting down what I was doing._

_ "Daddy is going to let me wear the same dress Mom wore when she got married. Of course, I have to let out the seams a little, but it will work!"_

_ "I can't believe your father is being so welcoming about all this."_

_ "Daddy says he has no right to judge because he and Mom were in the same situation when they married."_

_ "Isn't it that parents want better for their children?"_

_ "Daddy said this is better. He says if anyone was going to impregnate his daughter out of wedlock, it might as well be the Hero of Time."_

"It's _her_ again, isn't it?" Zelda's voice almost hissed at the mention of _her_. "Hasn't it been long enough that you've forgotten about that nobody?"

"…" I make no response. She leans forward a little more before she pushes me completely onto the bed, propping herself up with both arms above me.

"It's our _lovely_ daughter, isn't it?" Zelda's voice kept its seductiveness, but there was a sense of enjoyment as she spoke. "Isn't she just _gorgeous_? You know, she holds quite an uncanny resemblance to _her_, doesn't she? What a coincidence!"

"…" I didn't say anything back.

_Mae and I sit in the middle of the garden in one of the few moments it is just the two of us. Her bright yellow dress sprawled around her, the little girl fingers random flowers, waving them up at me as if trying to tell me something in her weird, toddler language. She seems perfectly content to sit in the spring sunshine and match flowers, lumping them together to study their colors._

_ It is oddly peaceful and somewhat nostalgic in a way, sitting in the open sunshine and not doing anything productive. Just simply being together seems to satisfy both of us, to some extent. She sits next to me, holding her self-made bouquet of yellow tulips and white daisies and purple orchids and pink lilies. _

_ Her flower-arranging is interrupted when the sky begins to spit out little sprinkles of spring showers, making little dark spots in her dress. She blinks up at the rain, at first confused at why it was getting wet, but the shower is slow, steady and warm. Instead of whining or crying, she simply beams at me with her innocent, childish grin, her blue eyes wide with excitement, as if begging me to let her stay in the rain._

_**"Rain brings out the best in people."**_

_** Her **__voice stops me again and for a moment, I hear __**her **__tell me about life in the sounds of the rain shower. _

_ Mae lets out a delighted squeal and I turn, seeing her laughing as a the droplets of rain hit her in the face, as the make little crystal dew drops on her clumsily arranged flowers. Holding up her newly decorated bouquet, she stares at me with those eyes again, that deep blue ocean inviting me in again, staring at me with the purity that only a child can have._

_ Those beautiful eyes. _

_**Her **__eyes. __**Her**__ oceans.__**Her **__voice._

_**Her. **_

__"She'll never be yours, you know." Zelda challenges me, her lips curved into a smirk, her eyes smoldering with some unidentifiable emotion.

"…" I just stare up at her, pinned down by my own lack of motivation.

"I went to every length to ensure your cooperation, you know." Zelda bent down, whispering in my ear. I feel her hot breath on my ear, her soft cheek rubbing against my own. I feel her light weight on top of me, her ample breasts brushing against my chest, her skirts riding up as she pinned me down. "You don't know how far I've gone, Link."

There's a moment of silence as the two of us stay like that for awhile. Zelda eventually grows irritated, and decides to do something different, whispering something about how we needed "quality" time. With no hesitation, she quietly and swiftly removes my shirt, before unbuttoning her gown enough to show her cleavage.

"You see, Link, you're mine." Zelda said, laying next to me, stroking my chest, her golden hair catching some sparkle in the light. "She'll never be yours again. I've made sure of this."

_"Link! I think I'm beginning to show a bit!" she seemed excited as she ran up to me in the kitchen. I turn, blinking a few times in confusion. She seems about as curvy as she always is, and she stamps her foot in irritation when I don't show surprise or concern._

_ "Are you really sure?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow and putting down the stack of dishes I was holding._

_ "Really!" she lifted her shirt up, revealing her bare tummy and she put a hand on it. It took some hard staring, but there was indeed a very small bump forming. "At the very least, my stomach feels more firm."_

_ "I guess that's a good thing." I respond, deciding that this was good news regardless of how miniscule the growing bump seemed. The gleam in her azure eyes was enough to make me happy. _

_ "Everything going great, Link! This is fantastic!" she exclaimed, pulling her shirt back down. "I need to go tell Daddy! He'll be so pleased! Isn't it great that everything is going so well for us for once?"_

_ "Yeah, it's great." I agreed. _

_ "It just seems like its one thing after the other for you."_

_ "I'm used to it by now. The world is peaceful, so all Zelda has me do nowadays is pointless missions to keep me occupied."_

_ "Shouldn't your budding family be able to keep you occupied?" _

_ "That's what I was thinking." I laughed. She kissed me on the cheek and ran off to go tell her father about her "news". I heard thunder roll outside._

_ A storm was coming. _

"Why?" I finally managed to ask, asking the first question I had asked aloud in a long time.

"Oh, you ask me why?" Zelda smirks, her red lips twisting upwards wickedly. "There are a myriad of reasons for that, my little lap dog."

"…" I stare at her intently, wondering if she'll continue to answer my question.

_"Does the princess like me, Link?" she asked, looking out at the graying skies beyond the window._

_ "What kind of question is that? You don't even know her." I retorted._

_ "Yeah…but…" she responds idly, one hand propping her head up on the table and the other one rubbing her almost-nonexistent bump. "What if she doesn't like me?"_

_ "Why do you need to worry about it? Like I said, the two of you have never even met face to face."_

_ "It just seems like she keeps you away from me a lot. More than she should. Does that mean she doesn't want you near me?"_

_ "I highly doubt that. She knows you're close to me. I would hope she'd have guessed by now that we're in a relationship. She is a smart princess."_

_ "I don't know. I just have the feeling that she likes to keep you away from here. I think she doesn't like me."_

_ "I think you're reading too much into it."_

"You're mine, Link." Zelda says suddenly, her voice reaching a level of aggressiveness I've never heard before. "You were never hers! You're mine!" Her nails begin to dig into my shoulders as she squeezes them.

"…" I stare, unsure of what to say or do.

"You were never that _brat's_. You were mine. You've always been mine!"

_Her eyes were wide. Her face was pale with shock. She stared at me, wildly and desperately, thin trails of crimson dripping down her delicate chin. _

"That _bitch_." Zelda's voice hisses, her nails carving angry designs into my shoulders and chest, blood slowly rising from the wounds. For the first time in a long time, I'm scared of Zelda. Her eyes have lost their regal glow and her voice has dropped the motherly façade she's tried so hard to keep up.

_As her eyes begin to lose their sparkle, she gasped, coughing up a cloud of red that splatters on the ground, forming a grotesque piece of artwork on the soaked, emerald grass. _

"_Her._" Zelda seethed again, scratching wildly at my skin. "_She_ is a witch. That horrible, evil witch."

_Her hands gripped her abdomen, wildly trying to do something about the being inside of her. Shakily, they rubbed at the bloody wound, wanting to find a way inside and apologize to the unborn, undeveloped child. _

"_She_ had you. _She_ didn't deserve you. _She_ got what she deserved."

_Her breathing was sporadic and uneven, her face white and sickly, her mouth drying desperately for form words. _

"I was right."

"What…do you mean?" I ask, ignoring the stinging pain of the wounds she had given me.

"HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THAT QUESTION?" she screamed at me, her eyes small and wild, her nails clawing wildly at me like a cornered animal. Blood dripped from her finger nails and her face was hideously contorted by blind, raging fury. "HOW DARE YOU STILL THIHK OF HER?" Zelda's developed some sort of superhuman strength in her mad rage, scratching at me uncontrollably, pounding my shoulders and chest with her fists.

_Every word from her mouth is covered in blood. Every muscle in her body is burning with effort as she tries to stand, as she tries to protect that growing baby. She looks at me._

"I've…I've gotten rid of her…Yes…" Zelda stops, her voice holding a tone of instability as she speaks, trying to reassure herself. She stops beating and scratching me, sitting there for a moment, her mind lost, the blood caked into her nails. "Yes…That wench…She's…not yours anymore…"

_Tears slid down her face. She lifts up her hand, dripping with her own blood, reaching out for me to hold her._

"Yes….Yes…Yes…."

_Opening her mouth one more time, she moves her lips as if to say something to me. _

"Yes….Yes….Yes…"

_The rain gets harder, washing away some of the blood as it falls. She tries to form words again, crying as more crimson falls out at the effort._

"Yes…Of course…"

_As one hand falls limply to her side, she stretches her other hand out farther._

"She…Yes….Of course….Heh….Heh…Ha!"

_The rain plasters her red hair against her ashen face, her dark, red drops of rain splashing to the ground- like little tears of garnet. As she tries one more time to open her mouth, she looks at me, her eyes growing hazy, her breathing irregular._

"Heh….I'm….Yes…"

_She finally, all her muscles growing slack, falls to the ground, gracelessly clattering with the grass below, sprawling out on the like a discarded porcelain doll, her eyes empty voids- lifeless, dark oceans._

"You will never have her again." Zelda seems to regain her composure and proceeds with simply moving her finger across my chest, spreading the blood around like some sort of paint project.

"…"

"I've made sure she's not yours anymore. She is mine now."

"….What?" I turn, slightly confused at what she meant by that.

"She is mine to control now. And she will never be like that _woman_. She will never be _yours_."

_The storm washes away the dark red as it falls, drenching her body relentlessly. Her hand, limp now, still taunts me. Her eyes stare at me, wanting me to apologize, to repent, to do anything to make myself feel better. _

_ And as the rain washes away her blood, cleaning the landscape, it stops bringing me life._

___Her. Her. Her. Her. Her._

_ Oceans. Oceans. Oceans._

_ Mae._

"_**Rain brings life, so how can it bring us pain, too?"**_

**A/n**: I have no idea what I'm doing anymore.

My goal was to make this story short, but interesting. From the beginning, I never intended for neither Link nor Zelda to be that likeable, and for Malon to appear as anything more that flashbacks. Malon is the innocent one in all of this. I don't' intend for Zelda to be at all likeable and I don't intend for Link's actions to be agreeable.

I like how this is turning out though. Soon, everything will come together.

Review, please!


	8. Cornered Animal

**A/n:** Okay, I decided I'm going to update this story before I continue the revamp of my other story. This story is just too much fun to write!

**Disclaimer: **Yeah, right.

"_If you're not here to hear me scream/ am I silent like a dream?/ where all the dragons are my friends/ each night we meet out bitter ends/ do I need you to make me real?" _

-"Nobody" by Five for Fighting

**Chapter 8: Cornered Animal**

My world is frozen right now.

Not literally. But it might as well be. Everything is at a stand-still. The night is quiet, unmoving. It feels as if I'm the only one alive in this world, lying in my unkempt bed, blanketed by the pale light of the night sky through open windows. All I have are my thoughts and the red, bloody, unclean markings all over my bare chest and shoulders.

Nothing hurts. Nothing talks. Nothing laughs. Nothing makes any sort of movement whatsoever. Even as my thoughts race, I don't hear them. They move too fast for me to even understand. The silence is unsettling. It makes my stomach churn, makes my fingers twitch with nervous energy.

Why can't the silence be relaxing?

I've lost track of time. The minutes blend together and, at this point, I can't even read the clock without the numbers and hands seeming like some sort of foreign language I can't decipher. I can't even hear its incessant ticking sound as it marks off each long second as it passes by.

The night sky is a rich shade of indigo and the silver light of the stars washes over my marred body. I feel some strange sense of security as I look up, staring through open windows at the jeweled sky. It's an unidentifiable feeling, something I can't understand. But as I look up at those stars, try and understand the message they send me, I can't help but feel…calm? At ease? Mournful?

Perhaps it's just a mixture of things.

The cuts Zelda gave me have dried up and scabbed over, but they still sting. They're all over my chest and shoulders. Angry designs carved everywhere with no reason, like a terrible piece of abstract art. I don't particularly mind the stinging sensation I feel as the breeze hits my body nor do I mind the fact that the scratches are discolored and ugly, like I got mauled by an angry feline.

I don't really care about anything at this point.

_Zelda had calmed down. I could feel her nails leaving my skin. Her eyes were wild, like a cornered animal, and her fingers were covered in blood and bits of skin._

_ "I hope…you…understand…the circumstances." Zelda coughed out as her breathing slowed down. Her amethyst had no sparkle, looking dead in a way, like she had scared even herself with her outburst._

_ "…" I didn't say a word, thinking it best to just let her do the talking. My eyes glanced down at my new injuries. They were nasty, for sure, and I could feel the tickling sensation of blood dripping slowly down my bare skin._

_ "Good." Zelda sat up, her legs still straddling me on either side. Her forehead shimmered with a layer of sweat. In her rage, one thin strap of her gown had snapped and the other had fallen off her shoulder, dangling unwanted at her fore arm. Her hair was tangled and undone, strands of it falling messily in her shell-shocked face, some of it resting her cleavage, some of it getting caught in the ripped fabric of her dress._

_ In that moment, Zelda looked scared. Like a baby bird that had fallen from its safe nest. There was a dull glow in her wide eyes, purple bags forming on her usually flawless skin. She lifted her hands, staring at the blood that as drying on in her nails, then looking at the twisted messages she had carved into my skin._

_ "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

I figure that eventually, I'd have to sit up and clean myself before anyone came in here and noticed something was amiss. There was no way I'd get any sleep tonight, anyway. I sit up, glancing down at the spots of red decorating the white sheets.

What was the point anymore?

_I stared down at her mangled body, my eyes wide with shock, and my mouth agape, too scared, too emotional to make any coherent noise whatsoever. I heard a clattering sound as the sword fell from my limp hands, colliding with the blood soaked grass I was standing in. _

_ The rain tried desperately to clean the earth and bring the life it was supposed to bring. But no sparkle, no life returned to those blue oceans as she stared at me, lifelessly. Her pale skin was now soaked, her torn dress see-through, her hair matted down and pressed against her face._

_ Her mouth was open, as if she wanted to say something to me. One hand still rested, comfortingly on her stomach, still absently guarding the life it was holding. _

_ I stared down at myself. The rain washed the blood from my hands, my clothes plastered to my body. The warmth was still there, though. No amount of rain was going to rid me of that warmth._

_ I wanted it to go away. I wanted that warmth to go away. I wanted those oceans to dry out. I wanted her mouth to shut, for her unsaid words to stop haunting me._

_ "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" _

I put on some random shirt I find on the floor of the room and turn around to the sheets. There wasn't too much blood on them, so I covered them back up with the blanket. I tuned out the noises around me again. I didn't feel like listening to the clock as it teased me.

I wanted the world to just stay like this. I wanted to just pretend, for a moment, that nothing moved.

_Running. Running fast and desperately, in whatever direction I had chosen, towards whatever aimless destination it would take me._

_ Desperation, worry, shock, terror. They all floated around me like some sort of visible aura of guilt. I couldn't shake them off. I couldn't get rid of them. No matter how much I wanted it too, I couldn't get the rain to wash the stench of brutal death of my skin; I couldn't get the forsaken rain to wash it off of __**her**_**. **

_And so I ran. _

A clattering sound snaps me out of my thoughts, and I turn, staring towards the hallway. I poke my head out of the door, looking both ways like some sort of obedient schoolchild. Nothing stirs to life in the big, ominous castle. Another light clattering comes from behind a door across the hall- a washroom.

With the shining stars still watching my every move, I open the door, turning the handle like I was in slow motion. The old door squeaks with effort as I push it open and step inside. I feel warmth on my bare foot, I feel a wave of steam in my face, causing me to cough a bit from the sudden change in temperature.

An animalistic cry comes from the corner of the room, from behind the sheer shower, pink shower curtain. I shut the door and walk further, treading through small puddles of water that had formed on the tiles. Steam comes out from either end of the shower curtains, dampening my face as it covers me.

The cries grow louder. I hear the desperate heaving of breath, what sounds like the deep, sorrowful wails of a baby animal looking for its family.

As I push aside the curtains, I stop for a moment, comprehending what was curled up on the floor of the tub, being hit with the warm, relentless water of the shower, crying wildly.

It was Zelda.

_It was awhile before I made any sort of effort to contact humanity again. My muscles had finally reached their breaking point and I had collapsed in some sort of wooded area and had blacked out. When I woke up, the sky was cloudy, bits of sunlight poking from behind dark walls of grey clouds. It was cool and there was a breeze brushing against my dirty face, a cold breeze that made my arms tingle._

_ I heard voices from beyond the maze of trees, distant but creeping toward me. Were those the princess's goons, coming to find the murderer of the rancher's daughter? I hadn't made much of an effort to hide the bloody sword and body. _

_ Did it matter if they found me? _

"…" I lift an eyebrow, unsure of how to handle this situation. I turn the stream of water off, squinting through the cloud of steam fogging my vision. Coughing a bit more at the burning in my throat, and wipe some of the water off of my face and kneel next to the porcelain tub.

Zelda's curled into a little ball, as tightly curled into herself as possible, clutching the sides of her head with pruned fingers. Her golden hair is stringy, darkened to a tan color by the water. She's shaking, violently shaking, writhing in her fetal position. She sucks in violent breaths of air from between clenched teeth, whimpers of pain and some unnamed emotion escaping from her pale lips. Her nails dig into her tangled hair, gripping it desperately, clawing at the sides of her face.

"Ahhh…" a tired, breathy noise escapes her mouth. She whimpers some more, her eyes clamped shut tightly, afraid of being opened.

"…" I'm silent again, still unsure of what was going on. I stare down at her, cocking my head curiously at the broken princess lying on the shower floor, curled up naked and scared. What was I supposed to say? How was I supposed to put these pieces back together?

_I curled into a little ball on the grass, letting the cool air attack me from every angle. My mind was drawing a blank, my thoughts had frozen, my voice was stuck somewhere in my throat. I was coughing, choking on my own lost words, drowning in salty tears that fell down my face like little rivers._

_ I felt like a lost child. Shaking, cold, overwhelmed, and absolutely terrified. I grabbed the sides of my head, letting out a muffled yelping sound reminiscent of a small puppy getting kicked. Still gripping my head in pain, I touched my forehead with my knee, making myself as small as I possibly could. _

_ I didn't care that I was crying. I didn't care that I was curled up like a baby. I didn't care that I was freezing my damned ass off. I didn't care that people were coming in my direction. I didn't care that my head hurt from gripping it so hard. I didn't care that my voice was hoarse or that my eyes were watery from all the tears that broke loose. I didn't care about anything anymore. _

_ All I cared about was __**her**__. I cared about the vision of her mangled, lifeless body seared into my memory. I cared about her blue oceans, staring at me like an abyss. I cared about the feeling of warmth that I couldn't get off of my hands, no matter how much cold wind attacked me. I cared about her unspoken last words. I cared about red water soaking into the emerald ground. I cared about the hand that guarded the life she so desperately wanted to bring into the world._

_ I cared about the future I destroyed- heartlessly, brutally, cruelly, emotionlessly, angrily destroyed._

_ And, for once in my life, I didn't want to care about __**her**__anymore._

"L…Link?" Zelda croaks out, opening her eyes, her violet eyes staring at me, still wide and uncertain like a little baby bird. "Link?" She asks again, as if I might disappear.

"Yes." I answer simply, placing a hand on her shoulder. She jolts a bit from the contact, but her body soon goes limp again, still curled into her safe little ball.

"She….She…" she mumbles under her breath. "No!" she seethes, gripping her head tighter, tensing up as tightly as her muscles would allow.

"…" I take my hand away, almost afraid.

"No! No! No!" she repeats hysterically, scratching at her scalp. "No! She isn't here anymore! Quit it!" she lets out a raw, pained cry of desperation, coughing at the effort, choking up more tears that fall down her heated, blushed cheeks. I see a small trickle of blood drip down her temple from where her nails are digging at her scalp, but the crimson trail is soon lost in her wet, knotted hair.

"Zel…da?" a say, hesitantly, trying to put together her name like some sort of puzzle.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" she mumbles under her breath, choking out the words between bouts of tears and panicked breaths. "Ah!" She jolts up from her curled ball, kneeling on the warm tile of the shower.

"…" I take a step back, staring at the princes as she moves around.

"Go away!" Zelda yells desperately, beating the shower floor with her delicate fists, knuckles white from tight muscles. Her face is contorted, horribly contorted, with a million emotions at once. Her eyes are slightly shadowed by a mass of messed up hair, but I could they were wide, scared, angry, and in a way, almost demonic in the way they glowed under the dim lighting.

_I heard the funeral was emotional. Small, but emotional. I heard that she was called a martyr at her funeral. I heard her father made heartfelt, tear filled eulogy about his beloved daughter joining his wife in the skies above. I heard that her father broke down in the middle of it, breaking out into sobs that made everyone cry. I heard that the killer was called a heartless bastard. I heard that she was buried in her mother's wedding dress, beautiful and delicate, like she was going to get married in the afterlife. _

_ I heard that the sun was shining that day. Everything was perfect, the kind of warm, spring weather that young couples got married in. Everyone was mourning, though. There was lamenting about a young life taken too fast, about how scared she was when she died. There was crying about how she should have been getting married in that bright sunshine, not getting trapped underneath the ground for all eternity in a wedding dress that would never mean anything._

_ I heard that Zelda came to the funeral, offering solace to the mourning rancher on behalf of the Royal Family for all of his services to the castle in the past years. I heard that she cried, weeping at the loss of a young citizen that was a "friend of the Hero of Time". I heard that the rancher thanked the princess for her kindness._

_ At least she was wearing that wedding dress she was so excited about._

"Link…You're mine, aren't you?" she finally coughed out a full sentence, looking up at me, her pale skin marred by big, ugly bags under eyes.

"...Yes…" I answer obediently, like the pet I apparently was. She looked at me, cautiously, observing my hesitant reaction, my safe answer to her question.

"No…I mean…You're really mine, aren't you?" She said, crawling out of the tub, kneeling on the bare, wet floor in front of me. She reached up with her wrinkled hands, snaking her long fingers around my arm and jerking me to the floor.

"…" I winced in pain as my knees collided with the hard tile, but I looked up, staring at her wild, curious eyes.

"You're not hers anymore are you?"

"…She's dead." I say safely. "How…can…I care…about her?" I struggle to form the sentence.

"….Liar!" Zelda shoves me to the floor and I feel a sharp pain course through my head as it hits the floor. She pounces on top of me, pinning me down like I'm her prey. "You still think about her, don't you?"

"Do you?" I ask simply, surprising myself with the quick response.

"…" Zelda freezes.

"Do you think about her too?"

"…." Zelda lets out a squeal, but I'm not sure whether it's from pain or pleasure. She slams her balled fists down on my chest, her eyes big and confused.

There's a long silence between the two of us and all I can here is the music of our uneven breathing, two beats mixing together as one. She occasionally beats my already wounded chest with a weak punch. After a moment, she gets off of me, an absent look on her face as she grabs a white towel from a rack off to the side, wrapping it around her petite frame.

"Do you think I feel bad or something?" Zelda says without turning to face me. I sit up, rubbing the back of my head. She runs a hand through her hair, breaking the tangles as she does so.

"…" I don't answer, not sitting up off the wet floor, just staring at her smooth back, at her thin hand run through her hair. She takes a couple of steps forward, towards a counter, where a bunched up nightgown lies unwanted in the corner, where a silver hairbrush is thrown carelessly on the marble.

"I don't feel bad at all." She reassured herself, running a finger up and down the delicate hairbrush. "She'll…go away eventually." Her voice holds a cryptic tone to it.

"What…do you mean?"

"It doesn't matter." Zelda grips the handle of the hairbrush, her knuckles turning white again. "Don't ask ridiculous questions!" She orders.

"…"

Without another word, she begins stroking the brush through her hair, like a pattern, up and down, through her long locks, her face emotionless as she stares at the fogged mirror in front of her. The towel hangs loosely on her frame, tied messily around her chest. The water that covers the floor doesn't seem to bother her, nor does the muggy warmth that burns our throats.

And for a few minutes, we're quiet like this, both confused, both speechless, both unsure of what to do with ourselves. Only a quiet symphony of our breaths brings noise to the steamy room. I don't move from my spot on the floor, somehow having lost motivation to do anything other than sit there like a moron.

"GO AWAY!" the silence is violently shattered by the bloodcurdling scream that erupts from Zelda. Immediately, the scream is followed by the sound of shattering glass. I turn around abruptly, broken from my thoughts, to see Zelda, collapsing to the ground in a weeping, nervous, panicky fit of rage, kneeling on the ground half-naked and completely out of her wits. The brush is on the counter again, laying in a see of silver glass, the mirror now only a pile of pieces scattered around the floor.

_I had spent the funeral in a dark room, curled on the bed, taunted by the ticking of the clocks, by the feeling of warmth still on my hands, the stench of her death still lingering on my skin somewhere. I was haunted by the sounds of life outside. By what I thought was the pattering of rain against the roof._

_ Her voice needed to go away._

_ Her damned voice need to leave my head. Her scent needed to quit overwhelming my senses. She needed to leave my thoughts, my dreams. Her voice needed to quit lingering on __**every single noise that I heard**__. Her eyes needed to stop staring at me from __**every single object that was blue**__. The feeling of her warm blood on my hands needed to leave when I washed them. _

_**She**__just needed to go away. _

_ And I would scream until I could get her away, if only for a few minutes._

I freeze at the sight of her crumpled on the ground, hysterical for whatever reason she was panicking about. Everything was blurred. The wet floor, the shattered mirror, her frail body shaking with hysteria, all of it was blending together in a color I couldn't understand. With disregard for Zelda and the shattered mirror and the dangerously wet floor, I grabbed the door handle and darted out of the warm room. I ran back into the room I came from, not having run so desperately in a long time.

The door slammed shut behind me and I slid down to the floor, erupting into unattractive sobs that caused my whole body to shake. Between cries, I could hear Impa and an army of maids tend to Zelda in the washroom.

I could hear doors slamming and maids gossiping and the wind play with the curtains and footsteps in the hall and my own pained cries as they burst from my raw throat.

And I could hear her voice on every single sound that passed through my ears.

She was back.

**A/n:** A filler chapter more than anything. I plan to end this by chapter 10 or 11. But yeah. Zelda goes batshit crazy and Link's paranoia skyrockets.

Review, please!


	9. Pieces

**A/n:** Here is the next chapter! Not much else to say, so onward!

**Disclaimer**: Yeah…

"_My hands don't wanna start again/ my hands, no, they don't wanna understand/ my hands- they just shake and try to break whatever peace I may find" _

- "My Hands" by Leona Lewis

**Chapter 9: Pieces**

She was there.

Everywhere. She was everywhere. I could feel her eyes peering at me from the shadows- those endless cerulean abysses trying to trap me, to drown me. I could hear her laugh in _every single noise_. I could feel that _damned warmth _that crawled around my skin like a million little ants tickling me and making me absolutely miserable.

And I scratched at myself. And I tried to cover my ears. I buried my face in the pillow. I muffled my screams, trying to hide myself. I kept hoping that if I couldn't look her in the face, then she couldn't see me at all. I didn't want to become trapped in those raging oceans- that endless, lifeless ocean that wanted to grab me and lose me forever.

But I could still hear her speaking to me. She was laughing at me in the clock's ticking. She was singing to me in the sound of the cold evening breeze. She was whispering to me in the sounds of the footsteps outside. She was scolding me in the sound of the rustling sheets. She was ordering me around in the sounds of the maid's whispers outside. She was mocking me in the sounds of my own muffled cries as I tried my best to avoid her.

Why couldn't she just leave me alone? Why couldn't I hide from her? Forget about her? Pretend that she never existed in the first place?

Why couldn't I understand what was going on anymore? Why was it that she was everywhere? Why was she in every corner, every crevice, every light, every voice, _and every single sound in the entire world around me_?

Why was it that no matter how hard I tried, no matter how desperately I ran away, I couldn't escape?

What was I anymore? What was I doing? Why was I here?

What was anything anymore?

The peculiar thing about all of this is that the memories of those days seem so far gone. They seem too far away, too hazy and hard to understand. I reach out for those happier times, but they seem like a fairytale dream, a pleasant little lie that I conjured in my head. And I wanted to believe in those days. I wanted to believe that the time where everything was _normal_ actually existed.

But every time I try to grasp those memories and wrap myself in that comfort, I can't. The feelings of those days evade me. I can't find myself peace. I can't make myself understand what I felt during those times. I can't make myself remember how simple and easy life was with _her_. I wanted to remember the mundane chores, the feeling of her hand, the feelings I felt when I was with _her_.

Will I never remember those times?

Am I only doomed to remember the day everything fell apart? Is it all going to replay in my head- a continuous sequence of miserable events?

_**How did it end up like this?**_ That's the only question I can ask myself, clutching the sides of my head as tears stain the white pillow grey. _**Where did everything go wrong?**_ Regret drowns out my other emotions as the taste of salt fills my dry mouth. Why is it that that nothing makes sense anymore? The confusion makes it harder to breath, makes it harder to see straight. _**When will the pieces finally stop falling?**_

_**When will I be able to put myself back together again?**_

_**How will I able to put everything together again?**_

__The mass confusion drowns out the stinging pain in my head and the burning pain from the cuts I hadn't fixed. The breeze has a chill to it- the oncoming sign of winter- and it makes my skin bumpy, makes me tingle from its cold caress.

Curled up in a pathetic ball on the bed, I'm reminded of _that day_. The day where I was balled up on the grass in the rain, crying to myself like a blubbering toddler that couldn't find their mother. It's the same feeling of paranoia, the same feeling of hopelessness that haunted me until I drowned it out with my own pointless screaming.

I want to scream. Loudly, desperately, but I can't. Every time I scream, she mocks me. She points her pale finger and laughs at me, calls me a fool, tells me I'm pathetic. And, she's right, in a twisted way.

It's the fact that she's always _right_ that scares me.

I don't want her to be right. I want her to be gone. I want her to crawl back into her grave, to leave me alone so that I can clear my head and pretend that I had forgotten about her.

At least then I could pretend everything made sense, instead of sitting, weeping because I can't place the pieces of this puzzle back together.

The puzzle is broken, violently like the mirror Zelda shattered. The pieces of this nightmare all lying around me on this unkempt, cold bed, lost forever in the wrinkles of the sheets I didn't change. There they are, all around me, but I can't pick them up. I can't figure out where the go or how to fit them against each other.

_"You can't? Or you don't want to?"_

My eyes widen. Her voice, clear as a church bell, rings in my head, asking me a question I probably know the answer to.

_"You're such a wimp! And with all that blabbering about manly heroes!"_

There it is again. I dig my nails further into my scalp, scratching, trying to dig her voice out of my head.

_**Quit mocking me! **_I want to scream _**Just go away and leave me alone**_. I want to cry. But all that leaves my throat is pain. Raw pain that I can mold into words.

_"I can't believe that you're just running away! You're so scared that you can't do anything right!" _

_**Go away!**_

___"You just gonna sulk there? Find the truth!"_

_**I don't want to know the truth. Get out of my head, dammit!**_

___"I won't go away, Link."_

A cry of pain escapes my lips again. I'm trembling in fear, scratching wildly at myself, clawing at my throat and head, trying to dig her out of me somehow, trying to tear her out of my body so that she can go back to her grave- so he could leave me alone.

_**Why did everything fall apart? **_

_** How did everything become this way? **_

_** Who is this person lying on the bed right now, clawing his skin?**_

_** What happened to those simple days? **_

_** Where is that laughter now?**_

_** Where did the future go?**_

For the first time in a long time, I remember what it means to be alone. I remember what if feels like to be lost and have nothing at all.

I am alone.

_The garden was as colorful as I'd remembered seeing it. As I walked, I was greeted to splashes of rich blues and purples and pinks and yellows. A path of springtime rainbows that guided me. _

_ "Where did that princess go?" I muttered, rubbing my head. Locating her in the palace gardens was always difficult. She was never in the same place twice. Just as I was about to groan in defeat, I saw a stream of golden hair moving in the distance. I darted towards her and grabbed her arm._

_ "What?" Zelda was startled; I could practically feel the magic tingle beneath her skin. Her purple eyes were wide for a moment, but the softened when she realized who grabbed her was and her arm grew slack. "Link? To whom do I owe this pleasure? You never come to visit me of your own accord."_

_ "I never see you on my own because every time I see you, I somehow end up with another task to perform." I said dryly, letting go of the princess's arms. She rolled her eyes in fake-irritation, flicking some strands of her hair over her bare shoulder. "Right. I need to talk to you."_

_ "Alright." Zelda seemed to comply, gesturing to a bench off to the side. We sat down, Zelda smoothing her skirts down in a ladylike manner. She turned her attention towards me, apparently eager to hear whatever I needed to tell her. "What is it?"_

_ "Actually, I have good news for once." I said, and the joy seemed to carry on my voice. I twiddled my fingers nervously, unsure of how to explain. "It's about Malon and me."_

_ "Oh, Malon." Zelda said matter-of-factly. "What about her?"_

_ "It's great!" I said, and I could barely contain my excitement. The princess was the first person to learn of my great news, aside from Malon's father. "Malon and I are engaged, Zelda."_

_ "…" Zelda stared at me in shock for a second, her mouth slightly dropping at the sudden news. After a moment, her eyes darted off to the side, and she clamped her hands at her lap. "That's wonderful news, Link. I'm glad it finally happened. A lot of people were expecting you to marry her."_

_ "Really?" I cocked my head to the side. "Whatever. I figured you'd want to be the first one to know. We'd be thrilled if you came."_

_ "To the wedding?" Zelda turned. _

_ "No, to the funeral." I said sarcastically, earning another eye roll._

_ "Right. The wedding." Zelda continued on as if I hadn't made a sarcastic remark. "I would…love to come to the wedding."_

_ "Great!" I said, placing my hands behind my head casually. "There's more than that, though."_

_ "What do you mean there's more than just that?" Zelda cocked her head, narrowing her amethyst eyes. "That's some pretty big news just in itself, Link."_

_ "We hadn't originally planned to get married so soon." I responded, rubbing my neck. "I wanted to get everything cleared up here, as the Hero of Time, so I could formally 'retire'."_

_ "How long ago did you propose to her then?"_

_ "Oh, a long time ago." I sighed, a warm smile on my lips as I thought about my clumsy proposal. "Maybe a half a year ago? At least that's when I formally proposed to her. The idea was in my head for longer than that."_

_ "Oh. So you've been engaged for half of a year? Give or take a few days?"_

_ "Um. Sure. If you wanting an accurate number." I shrugged my shoulders. "But, back to the point. We sped up our plans because she got pregnant unexpectedly."_

_ "…" Zelda's eyes widened a bit. For a moment, it is silent between the two of us as we try to pick up our thoughts again. Once she regained her bearings, Zelda stood up, turning to me in an elegant fashion. "This is marvelous, Link."_

_ "You're taking this as well as her father did." I laughed loudly. "I figured you'd be upset to hear that I impregnated the rancher's daughter out of wedlock."_

_ "Oh, that's quite a minor detail." Zelda smiled. "This child will be that of Hyrule's greatest hero! Oh, think of the blood that child will have in its veins."_

_ "Well, yeah, I guess." I was still trying to get used to the fact that I was famous, so an outburst like this was awkward. _

_ "As the future wife of the Hero of Time, and the bearer of the future child of the Hero of Time, I'll have to bestow a special gift upon your family." Zelda tapped her chin thoughtfully, as if pondering what to do. "It would defile the Royal Family's name if we did not express our gratitude in some way."_

The tears have stopped and my mind is blank. I'm lying on the wrinkled bed, limp and unable to find the motivation to move. I cannot tune out her voice, and I have given up. Her voice fills my head; her face fills my vision, that _warmth_ overwhelms the feeling in my hands.

She can go ahead and mock me. She can go ahead and drown me in those oceans.

_**Why even bother when I don't even know what's happening anymore?**_

__"Daddy?"

A light, hesitant voice snaps me from my fit and I glance at the door. It's cracked open, the dim light of the hallway seeping into my dark room. Mae stands in the door, one small hand keeping the door propped open, and the other one clutching a doll. Her eyes are wide and it's easy to tell that she's scared. She taps one foot on the floor shyly, rubbing it against the soft carpet. Her nightgown hangs on her thin frame, and shivers a bit by the cold breeze.

"Daddy?" She asks again, and steps inside fully this time, the creaky door slamming shut behind her. The silver light barely makes her unkempt red hair shine. "Daddy? Why is Mommy screaming?" I stare at her wide eyes and I stand up, slowly walking towards her.

_"A present?" she asked incredulously. "A present from the Royal Family?"_

_ "Yeah. Zelda said it was befitting to bless our engagement and oncoming child with a gift." I explained, laughing at the shocked look on her face. "Why? Are you surprised that the Royal Family is blessing the engagement of their hero?"_

_ "I guess it makes sense." she responds, still a bit surprised by the situation. "I sometimes forget that you're famous."_

_ "I'm just cool like that." I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "Everything is working out."_

_ "I'm just glad that the princess blesses our relationship." she said, hugging me back. "And with a gift, no less!"_

"Mae?" I bend down to her level, placing my arms gently on her shoulders.

"I woke up to Mommy screaming." Mae says, tears forming in her eyes. "I wanted to find out what happened, but Auntie Impa scolded me and said that I need to go back to bed. But I'm scared."

"Why are you scared?" I rub her arms gently, brushing some of her hair to the side.

"I've never heard Mommy scream or cry before." she chokes up on her words, big drops of tears rolling down her chubby cheeks. "Daddy was crying too. I heard doors slamming. Mommy sounded like an animal. Daddy? What's going on?"

I stare into her eyes- those same bright blue oceans. She's truly terrified, sniffing loudly, trying to hold back more tears. She has no idea what's going on and her doll drops to the ground as she cries some more.

_It's that day again. I am there, in that moment again. The skies are a dull grey. She's decided that playing in the rain would be fun. It wasn't supposed to storm very hard, so she grabbed me when the clouds rolled in and we kicked off our shoes, ready to play in the showers like a couple of children._

_**"What's going on?" **_I think of Mae's question, and my eyes are wide.

_**How did it all end up like this?**_

__"Daddy!" Mae chokes out.

_"Link! What's wrong?" the distance between us disappeared in an instant. I clutched my head, confused. She grabbed the sides of my face, gently but urgently, a look of concern in her deep ocean eyes. _

"What…" I trail off, my eyes wide as I stare at Mae.

_"I…I don't hate you…" I scream in pain again. Tears roll freely down my face. I stared at her in abject terror, like she was cornering me. I jolted at her touch, like it was burning. I tried to move away from her, like she was venomous. My face was tensed up and animalistic, my teeth clenched together, biting my tongue so I could feel a familiar copper taste in my mouth._

_ "Link? There's blood coming out of your mouth! Link! Why are you stepping away from me? Why are you saying these things?" She's desperate. "Link, you'll bite your tongue off like that!" She grabs my face again and kisses me- a gentle kiss that was full of worry, a wild attempt to snap me back to my thoughts. She spits at the taste of blood from my tongue._

_ "I don't want to hate you! Don't do any of this!" _

_ "Link! Please! Snap out of it!" _

_ "Link? What are you saying! Why would you hate me?" Her eyes are watery, confused. I am holding my head, tears sliding down my face, trembling._

_ "Everything's wrong, dammit! This is wrong!"_

_ "Link, what's wrong? What are you trying to tell me? Link, I'm scared!"_

_**Where are the pieces? Where can I find the strength to put them back together?**_

___"Stop it! GO AWAY!" _

_ A cloud of red ended her attempts to fix me._

_**Can I put everything back together again? Can I find the strength to fix the future that fell apart? **_

__"Daddy? You're sad, too?" Mae looks up at me innocently, tears still falling down her cheeks.

"What…do you mean?" I gently grip her upper arms, and she rubs one of her eyes.

"You're crying."

_The tears were mixed with blood. There was no difference anymore. Just tiny trails of red tears that fell down our cheeks. There was too much shaking, too much screaming, too much going on at once._

_ "I'm…sorry." _

_ Red erupted from her mouth again. _

_ She apologized as her future escaped her body. The life of her and the unborn baby flying to the emerald ground. _

_ I could see the regret in her eyes._

_**Have the pieces been in my hands all along? **_

__"I'm so sorry." I pull Mae into my arms, pressing her against my chest, crying sorrowfully into her fiery hair. She stiffens a bit, like she wasn't expecting me to do that, but she slackens a bit, wrapping her tiny arms around me, sniffling herself. "Please…I'm so sorry."

"Why...Daddy? Why are you sorry?"

"I don't know." I cry painfully into her hair. "I just don't know. I'm sorry for everything."

_**Were the pieces there all along? **_

__"I'm sorry."

_**Can one apology help me understand?**_

__"I'm sorry."

_**Can a hundred apologies get me my future back?**_

__"I'm sorry."

_**Can a thousand apologies glue everything back together?**_

__"I'm sorry."

_**Can a million apologies make up for what went wrong?**_

__"I'm sorry."

_**Can a billion apologies earn me her forgiveness?**_

**A/n: **Okay, we're nearing the end here people. Roll with me on this one. One more official chapter and an epilogue.

Just an FYI, The last "flashback" is a parallel with Chapter 4. Make of it what you will.

Review, please!


	10. A Promise to the Rain

**A/n: **Okay, next chapter. Last official chapter, no less. Huzzah!

**Disclaimer**: Sure, why not.

"_The worst is over now and we can breathe again/ I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away/ there's so much left to learn and no one left to fight/ I wanna hold you high and steal your pain" _

-"Broken" by Seether featuring Amy Lee

**Chapter 10: A Promise to the Rain**

"Link?"

It takes a moment for my mind to come into focus. When I try to open my eyes, I feel myself clamping them shut again, trying to get used to the bright sunshine that pours into my room relentlessly. I try to move, moving one arm but finding the other pinned down by Mae, who rests at my side, clinging to me, asleep.

"What?" I manage to pry Mae off of me, but she doesn't seem to take notice, rolling to her other side. I turn to see who called my name and saw Impa standing in the doorway.

"Impa?" I turn to the woman, who has a solemn expression on her face, looking between me and Mae.

"So Mae came in here last night?"

"Yeah. She said she was scared." I hear myself talk and realize that this is the most I've said out loud to anyone in ages. Impa seems shocked that I responded to her with a full question as well, her red eyes widening a bit. Her shock dissipates quickly though as the warrior places a hand on her trim hip, an eyebrow lifting at me curiously.

"Link? What's going on?" she asks, a tone of seriousness on her face.

"What do you mean?" I am unsure of what to answer. My throat is scratchy and a bit raw, but I'm able to talk out loud, even though some of my words come out as croaks. I rub my dry eyes, now annoyed at the lack of moisture.

"We need to talk." Impa says, crossing her arms. "Come to the garden once you get dressed." With a final nod, the woman leaves the room. I turn to Mae, sleeping as heavily as a lazy cat, not a care in the world apparent on her peaceful face. I then turn down to myself. I am the picture of confused and unkempt. The shirt I put on last night is wrinkled and damp with water, tears and sweat. The cuts from Zelda had scabbed over and the scratches on my scalp were barely visible. My hair was dry and clumped together and I felt like I had a layer of grime on my skin.

For once, I didn't think about anything as I washed myself and clothed myself with clean clothes. I didn't hear her voice in the ticking clock as I brushed my hair and washed my hands. I didn't see her when I pulled a blanket over Mae, letting her sleep peacefully in my bed.

I didn't hear her at all.

And it was nice.

_"Daddy?" Mae finally said after about a half hour of sitting on the floor crying. She had nestled in my arms, half-crying and patting me comfortingly on the back as I wept apologies in her bright hair. _

_ "Mae?" I loosened my grip on her and we stared at each other for a moment. There was something comforting about this silence. _

_ "Daddy. I feel better now." Mae sniffs. She blinks at me, her beautiful eyes big and sparkling again, her cheeks dry and stained, her face a little blushed. She hugs me again, gripping tightly._

_ It dawns on me as she embraces me. I don't see her anymore when I look into Mae. I don't hear her voice anymore. I just see Mae. _

_ "Daddy? Are you okay now?"_

_ It was an innocent question. An honest question at that. _

_ "…You know what? I'm fine." _

"Ah, there you are, Link." Impa is waiting for me in the gardens, standing amongst a see of rainbow flowers, a solemn expression drastically contrasting the colorful world around her.

"Yeah." I look off to the side. I had bandaged my shoulders and next a bit, with a few bandages on my fingers, trying to keep the cuts from getting infected. It was a bit uncomfortable, but I'd get used to it. "Is this about what happened last night?"

"What did happen last night?" Impa turned. "You ran back to your room after Zelda broke the mirror, but what happened?"

_"Daddy? I'm glad you're fine." Mae seems honest, a smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes are droopy now. The need for sleep slowly creeps up on her._

_ "You're tired, aren't you?" I stand up, finding it easy to do, filled with some sort of newfound emotion. I pick her up and take her over to the bed. _

_ "Uh-huh…" She trails off, her eyes still drooping._

_ "Just sleep then." I say, sitting down next to here. She seems completely at peace when she reaches out and tries to draw me closer. There's complete contentment around us, filling the room, floating on the breeze. She snuggles against me, falling asleep almost instantly._

_ I'm in bed, sleeping peacefully with my daughter. _

_**My**__ daughter. _

_ There's something complete now._

"If I understood exactly what'd happened, I'd tell you." I say. "Zelda…something snapped last night."

"Right. What else?" Impa continued, anxious to know what happened to her master.

"Her….It has to do with…_her._" I don't know how to say her name, so I fidget with a twig I found on the ground nervously.

"_Her_? She was mumbling about how _she _was watching her and wouldn't go away or something nonsense like that." Impa tapped her chin. "Who is _she_ exactly?"

"The rancher's daughter." I say, tapping the twig against my leg, my voice filled with a confidence I haven't had in awhile. She turns to me, cocking her head in confusion.

"What does the rancher's daughter have to do with any of this?"

"Nothing anymore." I say. "She's dead, after all. But I know…for a fact…that _she _has to be the rancher's daughter."

"I guess that might clear something up." Impa sighs loudly. "Why is she muttering about the rancher's daughter?"

"It's complicated." I say. "I don't even understand what's happening."

"Weren't you with Zelda last night, though?"

"Yeah, for awhile."

"What happened last night, Link? Please…Tell me."

"Okay." I sigh loudly, trying to piece together the feelings of last night. "We were talking in my room first. Then she snapped, and she started yelling about _her_ and how _she _was an evil bitch and was scratching at my chest and stuff like a wild animal. After that, she left the room. Awhile later, I heard clattering from the shower."

"So, she ended up in the washroom." Impa says, inspecting the bandages visible underneath my shirt.

"Yeah. She was curled up in the shower floor, with scolding hot water falling on her. I turned off the shower. She…ranted a bit more and then broke the mirror. Something snapped in me and I left the room."

"Something certainly did snap in you." Impa grabs my shoulders, looking at me in the eyes. "You're always so quiet. This is the first conversation we've had in a long time."

"Mae and I had a talk last night." I said simply. Impa seems to understand what that meant and she lets go, her eyes softening. They're motherly for a moment before they harden again, worry contorting her face again.

"Link. Zelda is unwell."

"What's wrong with her?"

"I have her locked in a bedroom for her own safety." Impa looks down. "I never thought I'd see my princess turned into something so scared and frightful."

"…" I don't answer. Instead, I drop the twig and sigh loudly. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I have no idea anymore." I say and a laugh escapes my throat.

"Link, you should go see Zelda." Impa grabs my shoulders again. "Please. Go see Zelda."

_The feeling of peace seems so familiar. And so warm and welcoming. Everything seems so alive now. The stars are smiling at me as I grin back up at them, lying in the bed, losing myself in the indigo of the night sky. _

_ Mae is up against me, a light snore escaping her. _

_ So simple, so perfect, so flawed._

_ Yes. A little flawed. But perfect in that single moment._

Impa guides me to the room Zelda was being kept in, saying that she would wait outside, just in case something major happened. She leans against the wall, rubbing her forehead.

It all seems so familiar. The room lacks windows and there is a messy bed, with a table that holds a flickering candle that tries its best to light the dark room. I remember this room.

This is the room where everything started. Or was this where everything ended? I couldn't tell anymore. The days of that room are far away, locked in foggy chambers in my mind. There's an eerie silence, no noise whatsoever. The crackling of the struggling candle is the only thing saving this from being unbearable. I step on the noisy wooden floor, my feet making muffled tapping sounds against it, hearing it complain with each step I take.

"Zelda?" I ask. The room is dark and I can't make much out aside from the tabletop. I pick up the candle, gently, and begin moving it around some more. "Zelda? Impa said you were in here…" I trail off, inspecting the room, coming to a stop when I find her in the corner.

She's hanging there, dangling and waving gently back and forth against the strain of the cloth that holds her there. The snag in the wall struggles to hold her up, the small piece of broken stone wall trying its very best to not crack under the pressure. Her limbs are limp, pale with a tint of blue under her nails. Her mouth is open, screaming at _her_ one last time to leave her alone, saliva dripping down her chin. Her violet eyes are wide open and beady, only the emotion of fear still lingering.

"Link?" Impa opens the door. "I don't hear anything going on in here. What's…" Impa freezes when she sees what the candle shows her. The cloth, a piece of her nightgown I presume, snaps and the lifeless princess clatters to the ground without a trace of grace or elegance. "Princess!" Impa practically screams, but controls herself so that she doesn't make a scene. She slides across the squeaky floor, dropping desperately to her knees. She scoops up Zelda into her strong arms, but the princess falls slack, her limps unable to move, and her eyes unable to escape the terror that haunted her mind.

"…" I look off to the side, unsure of what to do. Impa is trying her best to control her emotions. It is apparent that she doesn't know what to do and that she's confused and fed up with everything that was going. She brushes messy blond hair out of Zelda's face, looks down at the girl she guarded for so long with a look of remorse. The princess's beautiful face was hideously contorted in death. There were big, purple bags underneath her eyes; her skin was a sickly pale. Nail marks were dug into her scalp, and her chin was dry and crusty.

"Link." Impa choked out, the warrior still trying to make sense of her emotions. "Listen to me and listen to me well."

"Alright." I took a step forward, a wave of sympathy for the red-eyed woman washing over me.

"Link." She repeated my name, reassuring herself. "Take Mae. Get out of here."

"What? What do you mean?" I jolt forward at the guardian's request. "Isn't she the next heir?"

"With Zelda dead, the coronation ceremony is no longer going to happen." Impa speaks logically for someone about to fall apart. "You are not officially the king. You are a prince by marriage, and that should give you rights the throne."

"But it's not that simple?" I ask, thinking about it. "Wait. With Zelda gone, this country has no ruler, right?"

"You and Mae cannot stay here." Impa repeats. "You want to leave. You need to leave. Go find your home, Link."

"…My home?"

"A home for you and Mae." Impa repeats again. "This castle will erupt into chaos what the death of the princess is announced. Your lives and peace are at stake here. With the true heir dead…and under such circumstances no less…Everyone with a shot at the throne will do anything to you two."

"…" I sigh. Impa desperately stares at me.

"Link. You don't want to be here." Impa says. "You don't want Mae to grow up with this. Link…I don't know what happened with…_her_…Or with you and Zelda and the circumstances of Mae's birth…Or why Zelda…did this to herself….But I want to do everything in my power…_Everything_ in my power to keep Mae from suffering the same way."

_**To keep Mae from suffering the same way…**_

__"Okay." I nod.

"Now…" Impa puts Zelda down, her eyes watery. "Link. Grab what you need, take your daughter and _leave this place_. Now." I nod my head and Impa steps forward and hugs me. "I'm sorry that I was not able to understand anything sooner." Once I'm free from her embrace, she nods at me one more time, stern orders in her garnet eyes. I begin dashing quickly down the hall, my feet thumping the red carpet as I did so. I open the door and see Mae, still curled up on the bed.

"Mae…Mae!" I shake her gently and the girl stirs to life, her eyes dull for a moment before she sits up. "Mae, get dressed, okay?"

"What's going on, Daddy?" she seems worried.

"…" I stop, unsure of how to explain this. "Mommy left. She's not coming back. And now we need to go to, okay?"

"Where are we going?" She jumps off the bed, taking note of my urgency.

"Somewhere safe." I state, grabbing a couple of bags from a closet. "Somewhere fun. Do you trust me?" 

"Of course!" Mae says cheerfully. "Can Dolly come to?" She holds up her doll. I nod softly.

"Good. Now go get dressed and Daddy will pack your stuff up. Hurry! Don't say anything to anyone, got it?"

"Gotcha!" She darts out of the room.

_**The future is in my grasp.**_

__As I frantically stuff clothing, cleaning items, money and a couple of Mae's toys into the bags, I notice skies are grey.

_**So…If you're listening…Can you answer a question for me?**_

__A cold breeze hits my face, the trees outside begin dancing to the beat of the wind.

_**Rain really does bring life, doesn't it? **_

__A soft wave of thunder answers my question. Little drops of rain begin pattering the floor, the wind playing with curtain. I hear Mae darting back into the room, holding her doll and dressed in a simple yellow dress with a thick, matching sweater. She looks up at me, eyes sparkling, a smile tugging at her lips. She doesn't know exactly what's going on, but there's something that feels free between the two of us.

It's hard to explain. Nothing seems complicated anymore. I can't complete the puzzle. I think some of those pieces disappeared when Zelda ended it all. But I can try to keep the pieces I have with me put together, try to keep everything in line and clear for once. I don't know how anything happened or why it happened. I don't know why Zelda took her life and I don't know what happened with _her _on _that day_ clear enough to answer any questions. I don't know what that future would have brought me.

I do know I have a new one now. I do know that. Everything will work out. For once, running away would bring me peace. I would go back and use the pieces I had to find a new future.

_**Everything is there. All I have to do is put it all back together. **_

_** The rain has brought us both some misfortune. But I think its fine now. You can sleep now. Life can grow again, just like you always wanted.**_

__The rain gets a little harder, but not violent. It's chilly and windy, but it's nothing more than a simple thunderstorm. Mae and I enjoy the rain, so we dart out one of the castle's back doors confidently, my hand in hers, running as fast as we can out of the town, trying to find our way the vast, open fields that would take us home.

_**Maybe a billion apologies can't make up for what happened. Maybe a billion apologies can't glue everything back together or bring you back to me. But I can fix what I have left. **_

__We exit the town, making our way through the fields. Mae has never left the castle. Zelda had wanted to wait for Mae to make her public debut when she was older. The endless green fields and the giant clouds rolling above us seem so foreign to her and she clutches her doll tighter, her eyes wide in fascination.

_**I can make everything better for you, I promise. I can try to find what's left of the family you left behind and I can rescue them. I can try to start everything over again. It all broke apart once before, but if you can just give me your blessing, I swear I'll make up for being blind. I'll make up for missing the opportunity. I'll make up for forgetting all the pieces were there in the first place.**_

__The rain gets softer, the breeze gets a little chillier. Another roll of thunder rumbles the landscape and answers my plea.

_**It will all work out in the end. I'm putting what I have back together for you. I promise. I promise.**_

_** I promise.**_

__The rain seems to be warmer now. The thunder gets softer. The winds are still chilly, but the rain is pleasant to walk in. It's comforting. Mae and I could care less that it's raining and that we're soaked and walking through this big field.

The situation is odd and unthinkable.

And I laugh at the absurdity of it all.

**A/n: **There you have it folks. All that's left now is the epilogue.

So, Link has snapped back to his senses, saved his daughter and found himself again. Zelda is dead now and the castle is left to chaos. I'm leaving a lot of what happened up to you all, so use your imaginations.

Please review!


	11. Epilogue: Recollection

**A/n:** Here's the newest chapter, peoples. The epilogue! Hooray!

**Disclaimer: **Yup.

"_When violet eyes get brighter/ and heavy wings grow lighter/ I'll taste the sky and feel alive again/ and I'll forget the world that I knew/ but I swear I won't forget you/ oh, if my voice could reach back through the past/ I'd whisper in your ear/ oh, darling I wish you were here" _

-"Vanilla Twilight" by Owl City

**Epilogue: Recollection**

I couldn't stop smiling to myself.

It's weird, too. For a long time, I thought I'd forgotten what smiling meant. I'd forgotten that smiling meant you were happy. To think that I was doing that now was almost too much to believe. Actually, the entire situation at this point was too weird for me to even try and question it, anyways. I might as well smile.

"It's been awhile since I've come to talk to you face-to-face, hasn't it?"

The grave keeper must think I'm an idiot, cloaked in thick, brown coats, staring down at this grave in the cold. The wind was piercingly cold, and even my thick garments weren't enough to keep me from shivering and cursing at myself. And the ground is hard and slippery, making it somewhat difficult, but oddly satisfying, as I step through the rows and rows of marble, locating the one that I wanted.

I've never been to _her _grave before. It's simple, really. Just a slab of whitish grey marble resting in a sea of other marble headstones. Her name is etched into the stone, with the classic dates of birth and death. It's colorless, but pretty at the same time. I brought a few flowers to brighten up her grave a bit, but I kind of like the fact that it's simple.

That means it special.

"Are you okay now?" I kneel down, placing the bright yellow and blue flowers on the stone, brushing aside some stray dirt and grass to get a clear view of the name on the stone. I let my hand rest on it, in some strange way, connecting with the body below it, trying to make my feelings known somehow.

"I'm sorry. I've apologized countless times and I don't think that any of them will ever be enough. I'm sorry. But…I'm trying, okay?"

I don't feel any tears coming- I've cried enough the past few weeks for an entire lifetime. Instead, I feel warm inside, despite the freezing temperature. I rub my fingers back and forth along the stone, comfortable to sit here and connect with her for a moment on the frozen ground. I ignore the voice in my head telling me that I will be complaining about my numb fingers later. It's all worth it, though.

"I've decided to do what I know you want me to do." I explain. "I'm leaving with Mae and your father. We're leaving before this kingdom erupts into total chaos- it's well on its way already, by the sounds of it."

There's a comforting silence.

"I'm surprised your father forgave me for disappearing and supposedly killing you." I continue. "But he said that so much has happened and that whatever did go down between the two of us, whatever the hell that may be, wasn't purposeful. Besides, he's grown pretty attached to Mae."

I laugh a bit. It's ridiculous that I'm speaking to a stone, to the ground that has her in there somewhere. But I knew she could hear me in her frozen slumber, understand me as the wind carried my words to wherever she was.

"I'm glad you understand." I look down, lost for a moment. "I don't know what happened that day. But I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm sorry for not listening to you for so long and running away. I'm going to make things right, okay?"

There's the distant dinging noise of a clock tower in the distance. The village was so close the castle town that it was easily heard. Mid-morning had arrived. It was almost time for us to leave. We were heading out as soon as possible, but we didn't know where. Just far enough away so that we could start somewhere where no one knew who we were and we could try and finally be _normal_.

"Just rest now." I say, standing up. "It's all going to be okay. We'll all be the family you wanted us to be. It's all working out. Just sleep. You deserve it after all of this mess."

With a final nod, I begin a long trek out of the grave yard, stepping out of that sea of marble tombstones, so that I can move on again. The scenery passes me by, one stone at a time, the long dirt path stretching out ahead of me. Her grave gets smaller and soon blends in with the rest of the stones, lost.

I gave up the hope of ever knowing what really happened awhile ago. And I gave up the hope of ever caring. I didn't want to know. I don't want to remember what really happened and how everything fell apart.

I didn't want to remember why me and everything around me shattered like a broken mirror- like the mirror that broke Zelda's will to go on. The pieces of that twisted puzzle where still messed up. A lot of them died when Zelda decided to tie that cloth around her neck. A lot of them were probably still lost in that bed somewhere- lying next to the drops of blood I never cleaned up.

But I had the pieces of that were left. They were small and fragile and messed up, but I still had them and the billion apologies I would continue to utter every night when I slept would keep them glued together. And those pieces barely made up a quarter of the big picture- the clear understanding of why everything messed up in the first place.

Sure, I'm still a little messed up in the head. But everything came around, full circle, somehow.

It all started when it was rainy and cold and ended when it was rainy and cold. It started in that crammed, dark room with no window and a weak candle and a creaky wooden floor. And it was in that room that it all ended, too.

And it was in those bright, endless blue oceans that my happiness began. And those oceans haunted me and made me miserable for a long time. But those oceans brought me back in the end.

_With rain comes life._

She was right all along. Rain does bring life, I suppose. I thought it was just a bunch of her optimistic, childish crap that she sometimes spouted to me when she was daydreaming, but I guess it was pretty true in the end.

_**It's all over now. That never happened. And when we leave and become the family she wanted us to become, I'll make sure that it was all just a terrible nightmare.**_

_** That's right. A terrible nightmare. Just a foggy figment of a past that doesn't matter anymore.**_

__It's over.

It started in that room during the rain. It died in that room, during the rain.

The rain can't bring that life back to me.

I promised her it wouldn't come back.

_**The rain can't bring life back to you. It can't fix the past. But it did fix everything. It's like the glue that holds the world together. It doesn't bring pain at all. **_

___If rain brings life, how can it bring us pain, too?_

I promise.

**A/n: **Um, huzzah! There you have it folks. The story is over. The epilogue wasn't supposed to be much, since it's just an epilogue.

In the end, Link ended up more likeable than I originally intended. Mae snapped him out of his stupor, and he's decided that life is better than sitting there moping around. I'll leave a lot of what happened to your imaginations. You can theorize why Zelda did what she did and how she did it and why she killed herself. You can theorize where Link and Mae are going with Talon. You can figure out what happened that day, where Malon died, for yourselves.

Please review! Please! Pretty please?


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